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Lexi Winter #1
Unforgiven
Once a victim, she's now a vigilante. An addictive and suspenseful thriller for readers of Candice Fox and Sarah Bailey.
Lexi Winter is tough, street-smart and has stood on her own two feet since childhood, when she was a victim of notorious paedophile the Spider. All she cares about now is a roof over her head and her long-term relationship with Johnny Walker. She isn't particular about who she sleeps with ... as long as they pay before leaving.
Lexi is also an ace hacker, tracking and entrapping local paedophiles and reporting them to the cops. When she finds a particularly dangerous paedophile who the police can't touch, she decides to gather enough evidence to put him away. Instead, she's a witness to his death ...
Detective Inspector Rachael Langley is the cop who cracked the Spider case, 18 years earlier - but failed to protect Lexi. Now a man claiming to be the real Spider is emulating his murderous acts, and Rachael is under pressure from government, media and her police colleagues. Did she get it wrong all those years ago, or is this killer is a copycat?
Lexi and Rachael cross paths at last, the Spider in their sights ... but they may be too late ...
Lexi Winter is tough, street-smart and has stood on her own two feet since childhood, when she was a victim of notorious paedophile the Spider. All she cares about now is a roof over her head and her long-term relationship with Johnny Walker. She isn't particular about who she sleeps with ... as long as they pay before leaving.
Lexi is also an ace hacker, tracking and entrapping local paedophiles and reporting them to the cops. When she finds a particularly dangerous paedophile who the police can't touch, she decides to gather enough evidence to put him away. Instead, she's a witness to his death ...
Detective Inspector Rachael Langley is the cop who cracked the Spider case, 18 years earlier - but failed to protect Lexi. Now a man claiming to be the real Spider is emulating his murderous acts, and Rachael is under pressure from government, media and her police colleagues. Did she get it wrong all those years ago, or is this killer is a copycat?
Lexi and Rachael cross paths at last, the Spider in their sights ... but they may be too late ...
496 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2021
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December 11, 2021
EXCERPT: On the edge of oblivion, images drift through the fog of my mind and hold, refusing to let go. Last night. The very dreamy Jonathan Davies of the chiselled features, stunning baby blues and long, dark lashes. A tall, muscular powerhouse, precision toned and sculpted to be appreciated. So commanding, so sure of himself. The images form into a memory and I groan in resignation.
'Shit'. I have to get up. His body is still in the boot.
ABOUT 'UNFORGIVEN': Lexi Winter is tough, street-smart and has stood on her own two feet since childhood, when she was a victim of notorious paedophile the Spider. All she cares about now is a roof over her head and her long-term relationship with Johnny Walker. She isn't particular about who she sleeps with ... as long as they pay before leaving.
Lexi is also an ace hacker, tracking and entrapping local paedophiles and reporting them to the cops. When she finds a particularly dangerous paedophile who the police can't touch, she decides to gather enough evidence to put him away. Instead, she's a witness to his death ...
Detective Inspector Rachael Langley is the cop who cracked the Spider case, 18 years earlier - but failed to protect Lexi. Now a man claiming to be the real Spider is emulating his murderous acts, and Rachael is under pressure from government, media and her police colleagues. Did she get it wrong all those years ago, or is this killer is a copycat?
Lexi and Rachael cross paths at last, the Spider in their sights ... but they may be too late ...
MY THOUGHTS: Absolutely brilliant! Unforgiven was an overnight read for me. I just didn't want to put it down.
Unforgiven is a fast-paced thriller detailing the devious workings of a group of paedophiles (Please note: there are no graphic details) and how difficult the police find it to catch up with those involved when their hands are tied by legal restrictions.
Lexi is a wonderful character. She is a survivor in more ways than one. She is determined that no other child should be subjected to the abuse she suffered as a child. She uses her earnings as an escort to subsidise her under the radar infiltrations into paedophile rings, providing the information to have participants arrested and the rings closed down. But then a man who abused her as a child manages to have his conviction overturned and is freed and her fragile existence is about to be shattered. She also has a talent for sarcastic wit that I envy, and the ability to think on her feet.
There are some wonderful characters in this novel. As well as Lexi, there's Bailee, Lexi's sister; Rachel, DI now but also involved in the original Spider case; Finn, and his daughter Ava; 'Neutron', police computer whizz; and let's not forget Lexi's wonderful and hilarious neighbour Dawny. She was a ray of sunshine in the darkness and provided me with more than a few belly-laughs. There are also a number of absolutely despicable characters who will turn your stomach and have you calling for a mandatory death penalty for these crimes.
Unforgiven is not an easy read, dealing as it does with child abuse and murder. But there is a lot more to this book than just that. As well as the underbelly of human nature, we get to see the inherent goodness of the people who fight for these children, and learn of the extraordinary lengths they will go to in order to catch their prey.
I became very attached to a number of these characters, and I sincerely hope that Sarah Barrie is not yet finished with them.
A 'must read'.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#Unforgiven #NetGalley
I: @authorsarahbarrie @harlequinaus
T: #AuthorSarahBarrie @HarlequinAUS
#australiancrimefiction #contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #murdermystery #thriller
THE AUTHOR: Sarah Barrie is a bestselling Australian author writing suspense in rural settings, with a generous splash of romance. Her debut bestselling print novel, Secrets of Whitewater Creek, earned her a spot as one of the Top 10 breakthrough authors of 2014, and her next three books, the Hunters Ridge series, also reached best seller status. She has finaled in several major awards, twice in the RUBY, the Romance Writers of Australia’s premier award, and three times in The Australian Romance Readers Award for favourite Romantic Suspense.
In other incarnations, Sarah has worked as a teacher, a vet nurse, a horse trainer and a magazine editor. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her ferrying children to soccer or gymnastics, or trudging through paddocks chasing cattle, sheep, chickens or the Houdini pig that never stays put very long. Occasionally, she’ll attempt to ride her favourite horse who’s quite a bit smarter than she is, and not always cooperative.
Her favourite place in the world is the family property, where she writes her stories overlooking mountains crisscrossed with farmland, bordered by the beauty of the Australian bush, and where, at the end of the day, she can spend time with family, friends, a good Irish whiskey and a copy of her next favourite book. (Australianfictionauthors.com)
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin Australia, HQ, for providing a digital ARC of Unforgiven by Sarah Barrie for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
'Shit'. I have to get up. His body is still in the boot.
ABOUT 'UNFORGIVEN': Lexi Winter is tough, street-smart and has stood on her own two feet since childhood, when she was a victim of notorious paedophile the Spider. All she cares about now is a roof over her head and her long-term relationship with Johnny Walker. She isn't particular about who she sleeps with ... as long as they pay before leaving.
Lexi is also an ace hacker, tracking and entrapping local paedophiles and reporting them to the cops. When she finds a particularly dangerous paedophile who the police can't touch, she decides to gather enough evidence to put him away. Instead, she's a witness to his death ...
Detective Inspector Rachael Langley is the cop who cracked the Spider case, 18 years earlier - but failed to protect Lexi. Now a man claiming to be the real Spider is emulating his murderous acts, and Rachael is under pressure from government, media and her police colleagues. Did she get it wrong all those years ago, or is this killer is a copycat?
Lexi and Rachael cross paths at last, the Spider in their sights ... but they may be too late ...
MY THOUGHTS: Absolutely brilliant! Unforgiven was an overnight read for me. I just didn't want to put it down.
Unforgiven is a fast-paced thriller detailing the devious workings of a group of paedophiles (Please note: there are no graphic details) and how difficult the police find it to catch up with those involved when their hands are tied by legal restrictions.
Lexi is a wonderful character. She is a survivor in more ways than one. She is determined that no other child should be subjected to the abuse she suffered as a child. She uses her earnings as an escort to subsidise her under the radar infiltrations into paedophile rings, providing the information to have participants arrested and the rings closed down. But then a man who abused her as a child manages to have his conviction overturned and is freed and her fragile existence is about to be shattered. She also has a talent for sarcastic wit that I envy, and the ability to think on her feet.
There are some wonderful characters in this novel. As well as Lexi, there's Bailee, Lexi's sister; Rachel, DI now but also involved in the original Spider case; Finn, and his daughter Ava; 'Neutron', police computer whizz; and let's not forget Lexi's wonderful and hilarious neighbour Dawny. She was a ray of sunshine in the darkness and provided me with more than a few belly-laughs. There are also a number of absolutely despicable characters who will turn your stomach and have you calling for a mandatory death penalty for these crimes.
Unforgiven is not an easy read, dealing as it does with child abuse and murder. But there is a lot more to this book than just that. As well as the underbelly of human nature, we get to see the inherent goodness of the people who fight for these children, and learn of the extraordinary lengths they will go to in order to catch their prey.
I became very attached to a number of these characters, and I sincerely hope that Sarah Barrie is not yet finished with them.
A 'must read'.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#Unforgiven #NetGalley
I: @authorsarahbarrie @harlequinaus
T: #AuthorSarahBarrie @HarlequinAUS
#australiancrimefiction #contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #murdermystery #thriller
THE AUTHOR: Sarah Barrie is a bestselling Australian author writing suspense in rural settings, with a generous splash of romance. Her debut bestselling print novel, Secrets of Whitewater Creek, earned her a spot as one of the Top 10 breakthrough authors of 2014, and her next three books, the Hunters Ridge series, also reached best seller status. She has finaled in several major awards, twice in the RUBY, the Romance Writers of Australia’s premier award, and three times in The Australian Romance Readers Award for favourite Romantic Suspense.
In other incarnations, Sarah has worked as a teacher, a vet nurse, a horse trainer and a magazine editor. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her ferrying children to soccer or gymnastics, or trudging through paddocks chasing cattle, sheep, chickens or the Houdini pig that never stays put very long. Occasionally, she’ll attempt to ride her favourite horse who’s quite a bit smarter than she is, and not always cooperative.
Her favourite place in the world is the family property, where she writes her stories overlooking mountains crisscrossed with farmland, bordered by the beauty of the Australian bush, and where, at the end of the day, she can spend time with family, friends, a good Irish whiskey and a copy of her next favourite book. (Australianfictionauthors.com)
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin Australia, HQ, for providing a digital ARC of Unforgiven by Sarah Barrie for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
November 28, 2021
Lexi Winter was a survivor. A victim of child abuse, she’d saved her younger sister Bailee from a similar fate and then disappeared from her life. Now she was back in Bailee’s life, but living her life on her own terms, a vigilante and after each and every paedophile she could find, whether legally or illegally – it didn’t matter to her. She had no time for the cops after they let her down so badly and even Bailee’s constant entreaty for Lexi to speak to Detective Inspector Rachael Langley fell on deaf ears.
Rachael was the cop who put The Spider away eighteen years prior; the evil perpetrator of innocent children, but when a small child disappeared and was found dead, the killer calling himself The Spider, Rachael was suddenly hit with uncertainties. Had she put away the real Spider eighteen years ago? Was this latest killing a copycat murder?
Silently in the background Lexi continued her work, up against the worst of human depravity. Her abilities on the computer, hacking, finding paedophile sites and tracking them, then passing the information to Bailee who in turn handed it to Rachael – would they catch this latest killer? Lexi’s work as an escort paid the bills, her relationship with JD dulled the pain – but what of her future? Lexi’s neighbour Dawny, was a kind, helpful and understanding friend – Lexi knew Dawny was her only friend…
Unforgiven is the latest thriller from the pen of Aussie author Sarah Barrie and it was brilliant! I couldn’t put it down and read until the small hours to finish it last night – how could I sleep without knowing what was about to happen next? Dawny was a wonderful character; Lexi was a tough, resilient, heart-of-gold person, covering it with sarcasm and wit. I laughed out loud many times, especially in her encounters with Finn and Dawny. Ms Barrie’s books are going from strength to strength, and I’ve read every book she’s written. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Rachael was the cop who put The Spider away eighteen years prior; the evil perpetrator of innocent children, but when a small child disappeared and was found dead, the killer calling himself The Spider, Rachael was suddenly hit with uncertainties. Had she put away the real Spider eighteen years ago? Was this latest killing a copycat murder?
Silently in the background Lexi continued her work, up against the worst of human depravity. Her abilities on the computer, hacking, finding paedophile sites and tracking them, then passing the information to Bailee who in turn handed it to Rachael – would they catch this latest killer? Lexi’s work as an escort paid the bills, her relationship with JD dulled the pain – but what of her future? Lexi’s neighbour Dawny, was a kind, helpful and understanding friend – Lexi knew Dawny was her only friend…
Unforgiven is the latest thriller from the pen of Aussie author Sarah Barrie and it was brilliant! I couldn’t put it down and read until the small hours to finish it last night – how could I sleep without knowing what was about to happen next? Dawny was a wonderful character; Lexi was a tough, resilient, heart-of-gold person, covering it with sarcasm and wit. I laughed out loud many times, especially in her encounters with Finn and Dawny. Ms Barrie’s books are going from strength to strength, and I’ve read every book she’s written. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
November 22, 2021
Lexi Winter is a survivor of child abuse and was an important witness in the conviction of a paedophile nicknamed The Spider. She’s grown up tough but damaged and suspicious of relationships. She gets by as a prostitute for selected safe customers and with more than a little alcohol. In her spare time she is a skilled hacker, tracking paedophiles on the dark web. She often helps her sister Bailee, a child protection officer, look into men associated with children she suspects are being abused.
DI Rachel Langley was involved in catching The Spider all those years ago, but she has never forgiven herself for failing to protect Lexi, after she had failed to come to her aid when requested. Now the police have been faced with the killing of a child with exactly the same staging as used by The Spider, including some features never made public. Did they catch the wrong man all those years ago or is there a copycat killer pretending to be The Spider?
This is a really enjoyable fast paced thriller, set on the NSW central coast. Lexi is a great central character, so tough on the surface but fragile underneath and not far from taking flight if she gets spooked. As a result of her childhood, she doesn’t trust the police but must overcome her dislike if she is to help them trap the new Spider. Although this book deals with child abuse and pedophile rings it is not too graphic and there is much humour in Lexi’s interaction with the police and also with her neighbour. Dawny is nosy but appears harmless, and at least is friendly to Lexi, unlike her other snooty neighbours. However, she might just be hiding deep secrets of her own and Lexi soon finds herself in some unexpected but darkly humorous situations with Dawny and her good ‘friend’ Desmond.
With thanks to Harlequin Australia and Netgalley for a copy to read
DI Rachel Langley was involved in catching The Spider all those years ago, but she has never forgiven herself for failing to protect Lexi, after she had failed to come to her aid when requested. Now the police have been faced with the killing of a child with exactly the same staging as used by The Spider, including some features never made public. Did they catch the wrong man all those years ago or is there a copycat killer pretending to be The Spider?
This is a really enjoyable fast paced thriller, set on the NSW central coast. Lexi is a great central character, so tough on the surface but fragile underneath and not far from taking flight if she gets spooked. As a result of her childhood, she doesn’t trust the police but must overcome her dislike if she is to help them trap the new Spider. Although this book deals with child abuse and pedophile rings it is not too graphic and there is much humour in Lexi’s interaction with the police and also with her neighbour. Dawny is nosy but appears harmless, and at least is friendly to Lexi, unlike her other snooty neighbours. However, she might just be hiding deep secrets of her own and Lexi soon finds herself in some unexpected but darkly humorous situations with Dawny and her good ‘friend’ Desmond.
With thanks to Harlequin Australia and Netgalley for a copy to read
September 20, 2022
Lexi Winter is a street smart escort who is a drinker & drug user & pulls no punches when it comes to peadophilesb… she was abused as a child now works a a hacker to pull in her prey.
DIRachel Langley & Detective Finn Carson are looking into the case of missing girls, 18 years earlier Rachel put away Thomas Biddle who now resides in Long Bay jail for the sexual assaults & murders of Summer Edgley Rachel never forgave herself for letting the case go & now will stop at nothing to get to the truth.
Bailey Kensington & Lexi have a past they don’t want revealed they work so well together & the dialogue between them was great to read.
The setting was on the Central Coast of N.S.W where I live so I knew all the places that were spoken about, this was a fast paced novel that was top notch it never let up it was compelling dark due to the subject matter
NOTE
THERE WAS NO DESCRIPTIVE DIALOGUE IN THIS NOVEL!!!
I read a review from one of my friends Sandy & I decided to read it, I am so glad I did I finally rated it all the ⭐️
DIRachel Langley & Detective Finn Carson are looking into the case of missing girls, 18 years earlier Rachel put away Thomas Biddle who now resides in Long Bay jail for the sexual assaults & murders of Summer Edgley Rachel never forgave herself for letting the case go & now will stop at nothing to get to the truth.
Bailey Kensington & Lexi have a past they don’t want revealed they work so well together & the dialogue between them was great to read.
The setting was on the Central Coast of N.S.W where I live so I knew all the places that were spoken about, this was a fast paced novel that was top notch it never let up it was compelling dark due to the subject matter
NOTE
THERE WAS NO DESCRIPTIVE DIALOGUE IN THIS NOVEL!!!
I read a review from one of my friends Sandy & I decided to read it, I am so glad I did I finally rated it all the ⭐️
December 1, 2023
3.5 Stars
Spider, a notorious pedophile and murderer, had been incarcerated for 18 long years due to the relentless efforts of Detective Rachael Langley. However, a new twist emerges as another individual is asserting to be the real Spider, thrusting the police's credibility into question. Not only is this imposter imitating Spider's reprehensible actions, but also poses the vexing question: Did the authorities apprehend the wrong man? Detective Langley, alongside Lexi, one of Spider's victims, embarks on a relentless pursuit of the truth.
I enjoyed the concept of the book, but unfortunately, I didn't feel a strong connection with the characters. As a result, the reading experience wasn't as immersive as I had hoped. Overall, a decent crime novel with a thrilling mystery.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Barrie, and Bolinda Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
Spider, a notorious pedophile and murderer, had been incarcerated for 18 long years due to the relentless efforts of Detective Rachael Langley. However, a new twist emerges as another individual is asserting to be the real Spider, thrusting the police's credibility into question. Not only is this imposter imitating Spider's reprehensible actions, but also poses the vexing question: Did the authorities apprehend the wrong man? Detective Langley, alongside Lexi, one of Spider's victims, embarks on a relentless pursuit of the truth.
I enjoyed the concept of the book, but unfortunately, I didn't feel a strong connection with the characters. As a result, the reading experience wasn't as immersive as I had hoped. Overall, a decent crime novel with a thrilling mystery.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Barrie, and Bolinda Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
May 1, 2022
Wow, that was breathtaking! After just having read a dud book it was a pleasant surprise to get stuck into this one (thank you library) by another Aussie author new to me.
As a child Lexi Winter was the victim of a brutal paedophile known as the Spider. Now, 18 years later, she earns a meagre income as an escort while spending her free time drinking whiskey and tracking paedophiles online. She passes the information to her sister, Bailee, who is a social worker with contacts in the police force.
Detective Inspector Rachel Lynch was the officer responsible for arresting Spider 18 years ago and always regretted not getting Lexi to safety before she was forced to flee. They are both stunned when another young girl is murdered and displayed like one of Spider’s victims after being at a paedophile ring ‘party’. Is this a copycat or is the man in prison, Biddle, not the real Spider? He never actually confessed to killing any of the girls.
Lexi has tracked down one of the members of the original paedophile ring and breaks into his home when he is not there to try and copy his laptop. Things turn to shift when the wife turns up and then Doc arrives with another man. The women hide and after an argument, Doc is killed. Lexi knows the wife will be blamed so she helps her get rid of the body.
When Bailee tells her another ‘party’ for young girls is being organised by the paedophile ring, Lexi ends up working with the police, against all her instincts, to try and identify where this party will be held. After that it all gets very suspenseful.
The Lexi character was so endearing. She is tough as nails but very empathetic to anyone in danger. She has helped put away some very bad people by skirting, or breaking, the law and is very wary of the police. But Rachel sees the good in her and needs her mad hacking skills to give the police an edge. The other characters are also wonderfully portrayed - Dawny her all seeing and sneaky neighbour, DS Finn Carson Rachel’s loyal sidekick and DC Turner, the embittered officer who undermines Rachel at every opportunity and wants to throw Lexi in jail.
The book was tautly plotted and the pace never let up. There was a sense of creeping menace throughout as Spider taunted the police and threatened Lexi. The ending was very dramatic and totally fitting. I note that Sarah Barrie’s previous books are romantic suspense which I am not so keen on but this ending paved the way for a potential sequel which I would definitely want to read!
As a child Lexi Winter was the victim of a brutal paedophile known as the Spider. Now, 18 years later, she earns a meagre income as an escort while spending her free time drinking whiskey and tracking paedophiles online. She passes the information to her sister, Bailee, who is a social worker with contacts in the police force.
Detective Inspector Rachel Lynch was the officer responsible for arresting Spider 18 years ago and always regretted not getting Lexi to safety before she was forced to flee. They are both stunned when another young girl is murdered and displayed like one of Spider’s victims after being at a paedophile ring ‘party’. Is this a copycat or is the man in prison, Biddle, not the real Spider? He never actually confessed to killing any of the girls.
Lexi has tracked down one of the members of the original paedophile ring and breaks into his home when he is not there to try and copy his laptop. Things turn to shift when the wife turns up and then Doc arrives with another man. The women hide and after an argument, Doc is killed. Lexi knows the wife will be blamed so she helps her get rid of the body.
When Bailee tells her another ‘party’ for young girls is being organised by the paedophile ring, Lexi ends up working with the police, against all her instincts, to try and identify where this party will be held. After that it all gets very suspenseful.
The Lexi character was so endearing. She is tough as nails but very empathetic to anyone in danger. She has helped put away some very bad people by skirting, or breaking, the law and is very wary of the police. But Rachel sees the good in her and needs her mad hacking skills to give the police an edge. The other characters are also wonderfully portrayed - Dawny her all seeing and sneaky neighbour, DS Finn Carson Rachel’s loyal sidekick and DC Turner, the embittered officer who undermines Rachel at every opportunity and wants to throw Lexi in jail.
The book was tautly plotted and the pace never let up. There was a sense of creeping menace throughout as Spider taunted the police and threatened Lexi. The ending was very dramatic and totally fitting. I note that Sarah Barrie’s previous books are romantic suspense which I am not so keen on but this ending paved the way for a potential sequel which I would definitely want to read!
January 7, 2022
⭐️5 Stars⭐️
Sarah Barrie is my new rock star in the author world! Unforgiven is an incredible five-star read, the writing is absolutely brilliant! Every single page of this book held my attention, there’s action all the way and never a dull moment!
As a child Lexi Winter was a victim of abuse and she also encountered the notorious paedophile named the Spider. Lexi is smart and a survivor although now as an adult we see her with an addiction to the bottle and working as an escort although she is determined to make a difference and protect other children.
Lexi is a vigilante and helps her sister Bailee who is a child protection officer to look into men suspected of abusing children. She’s does this voluntarily as a skilled hacker where she infiltrates local paedophiles rings online and hands the perpetrators over to the police.
Homicide Detective Inspector Rachael Langley was responsible for putting the notorious Spider away eighteen years earlier but she also let Lexi down. It appears the Spider is back in action, he’s left Rachael a message and a girl is found dead, staged exactly the same way as the others. Is this murderer a copycat killing or was the wrong man convicted all those years ago?
Lexi and Rachael our protagonists are incredibly likeable characters. I also enjoyed reading about supporting character Dawny’s exploits who is Lexi’s neighbour. I found her character darkly humourous.
Although this is essentially a story about child abuse and murder it is handled well and there is so much more going on! Unforgiven is cleverly written and so addictive that I found it absolutely unputdownable.
This is an absolute must read for thriller fans. I’m so inspired to read more from Sarah Barrie.
Publication Date 01 December 2021
Publisher Harlequin Books Australia
I’m so grateful to have received a copy of the book to read, thank you so much Harlequin Books Australia
Sarah Barrie is my new rock star in the author world! Unforgiven is an incredible five-star read, the writing is absolutely brilliant! Every single page of this book held my attention, there’s action all the way and never a dull moment!
As a child Lexi Winter was a victim of abuse and she also encountered the notorious paedophile named the Spider. Lexi is smart and a survivor although now as an adult we see her with an addiction to the bottle and working as an escort although she is determined to make a difference and protect other children.
Lexi is a vigilante and helps her sister Bailee who is a child protection officer to look into men suspected of abusing children. She’s does this voluntarily as a skilled hacker where she infiltrates local paedophiles rings online and hands the perpetrators over to the police.
Homicide Detective Inspector Rachael Langley was responsible for putting the notorious Spider away eighteen years earlier but she also let Lexi down. It appears the Spider is back in action, he’s left Rachael a message and a girl is found dead, staged exactly the same way as the others. Is this murderer a copycat killing or was the wrong man convicted all those years ago?
Lexi and Rachael our protagonists are incredibly likeable characters. I also enjoyed reading about supporting character Dawny’s exploits who is Lexi’s neighbour. I found her character darkly humourous.
Although this is essentially a story about child abuse and murder it is handled well and there is so much more going on! Unforgiven is cleverly written and so addictive that I found it absolutely unputdownable.
This is an absolute must read for thriller fans. I’m so inspired to read more from Sarah Barrie.
Publication Date 01 December 2021
Publisher Harlequin Books Australia
I’m so grateful to have received a copy of the book to read, thank you so much Harlequin Books Australia
February 22, 2022
I’m in the minority on this book. Set locally on the NSW Central coast, I was keen to get into this. It always adds a little to the experience when you can picture the scene.
The blurb was wrong. Lexie is a hard drinking hard hitting woman who has had a tough past. She is an escort and pulls no punches about her way of living. What you see is what you get. She mentions scores of times that she reaches for JD, or Jack Daniels. Johnny Walker is in the blurb (of my audio book). I found this to be a funny mistake, and of course no big deal, but with my penchant for attention to detail, I noticed it as soon as I started the book.
Lexie seems to have it all in her bag of tricks, she’s a hacker and investigator but she is also a victim. This makes her work hard to make the notorious ‘Spider’ pay for his crimes.
This is a book about paedophiles, chasing them up and making them pay. Led heavily by women I found the Detective Inspector not to be overly interesting; usually in these books I find them to be capable and smart. I didn’t find this here. They seemed to be everywhere, but this is about a network of paedophiles and bringing them down.
It just seemed that everywhere you looked there they were, with the wives/mothers/women in their lives being complacent or just not noticing. I found this hard to take.
So, as I said, in the minority for this one. This was a lacklustre read for me. The audio narration was nasal and not pleasant listening.
The blurb was wrong. Lexie is a hard drinking hard hitting woman who has had a tough past. She is an escort and pulls no punches about her way of living. What you see is what you get. She mentions scores of times that she reaches for JD, or Jack Daniels. Johnny Walker is in the blurb (of my audio book). I found this to be a funny mistake, and of course no big deal, but with my penchant for attention to detail, I noticed it as soon as I started the book.
Lexie seems to have it all in her bag of tricks, she’s a hacker and investigator but she is also a victim. This makes her work hard to make the notorious ‘Spider’ pay for his crimes.
This is a book about paedophiles, chasing them up and making them pay. Led heavily by women I found the Detective Inspector not to be overly interesting; usually in these books I find them to be capable and smart. I didn’t find this here. They seemed to be everywhere, but this is about a network of paedophiles and bringing them down.
It just seemed that everywhere you looked there they were, with the wives/mothers/women in their lives being complacent or just not noticing. I found this hard to take.
So, as I said, in the minority for this one. This was a lacklustre read for me. The audio narration was nasal and not pleasant listening.
November 28, 2021
I don’t know where to start, this is an amazing, brilliant story written with heart and caring and lots of suspense as Sarah Barrie knows how to do, she has taken us on a dark journey into child abuse but given us the fabulous Lexi Winter, once a victim herself now she does everything she can to save children, she has become a vigilante and nothing will stop her from saving the children even breaking the law.
Lexi knows what it is like to live on the streets, she knows what it is like to be abused to feel unloved and uncared for, she is now twenty eight and has learnt a lot in the last eighteen years. She was a victim of the notorious paedophile the spider but these days she is an escort and has a roof over her head and loves a good whiskey.
Lexi has learnt to be a great hacker and helps her sister Bailee who works for community services tracking the bad guys, the paedophiles and notifying the cops, gathering information brings her into a situation where she witnesses a murder of someone who is very hard to touch, this leads her to a paedophile ring that needs to be shut down and fast, but memories of the past are surfacing and Lexi is getting more determined but it also brings her closer to danger.
Detective Inspector Rachael Langley was the cop who put the spider away all those years ago but let Lexi slip through the cracks and couldn’t save her and now there is someone claiming to be the spider killing young girls again and Rachael is on the case and is under the hammer not only from the government and media but colleagues as well to prove it is a copy- cat before the spider is let out of prison.
This case brings Rachael and Lexi back together, reluctantly at first they work together to do their best to bring the bad guys down, with a cast of fabulous characters, Detective Finn Carson, Jimmy the IT guy they all work together on this case and I cannot not mention Dawny and Desmond. There are many twists and turns, that had my mind going in all directions. This is a must read book set around Gosford on the Central Coast of NSW.
I loved Lexi she is strong, courageous and so caring after all she has been through she has a heart of gold. The ending is brilliant and I really hope that we will be seeing Lexi again, Sarah Barrie is a fabulous author who brings thriller and mystery together in stories that are page turners and I cannot recommend this one enough, it really is fabulous.
My thanks to Harlequin AU for my copy to read and review
Lexi knows what it is like to live on the streets, she knows what it is like to be abused to feel unloved and uncared for, she is now twenty eight and has learnt a lot in the last eighteen years. She was a victim of the notorious paedophile the spider but these days she is an escort and has a roof over her head and loves a good whiskey.
Lexi has learnt to be a great hacker and helps her sister Bailee who works for community services tracking the bad guys, the paedophiles and notifying the cops, gathering information brings her into a situation where she witnesses a murder of someone who is very hard to touch, this leads her to a paedophile ring that needs to be shut down and fast, but memories of the past are surfacing and Lexi is getting more determined but it also brings her closer to danger.
Detective Inspector Rachael Langley was the cop who put the spider away all those years ago but let Lexi slip through the cracks and couldn’t save her and now there is someone claiming to be the spider killing young girls again and Rachael is on the case and is under the hammer not only from the government and media but colleagues as well to prove it is a copy- cat before the spider is let out of prison.
This case brings Rachael and Lexi back together, reluctantly at first they work together to do their best to bring the bad guys down, with a cast of fabulous characters, Detective Finn Carson, Jimmy the IT guy they all work together on this case and I cannot not mention Dawny and Desmond. There are many twists and turns, that had my mind going in all directions. This is a must read book set around Gosford on the Central Coast of NSW.
I loved Lexi she is strong, courageous and so caring after all she has been through she has a heart of gold. The ending is brilliant and I really hope that we will be seeing Lexi again, Sarah Barrie is a fabulous author who brings thriller and mystery together in stories that are page turners and I cannot recommend this one enough, it really is fabulous.
My thanks to Harlequin AU for my copy to read and review
November 20, 2021
Brilliant Sarah Barrie, brilliant!
Unforgiven is a crime thriller with everything. It is dark, it is clever and it is addictive. I Absolutely loved Lexi - and her neighbour Dawny was hilarious! When I saw the tag line "Once a victim, she's now a vigilante" I knew that I had to read it. I love a good crime story, and Australian authors so it was a no brainer really. Easily 5 stars and I really hope we see more from Lexi in the future.
Lexi Winter is not somebody you want to get off side. She may be an alcoholic prostitute but she is so much more than that. She is a talented hacker, and knows how to find bad people online, on the dark web. She has successfully found enough information to put these men away for despicable crimes. But now she has trouble of her own to worry about.
She is also a surviving victim of The Spider. It has made her tough and fearless. The Spider is in prison, so how can there be an identical murder? DI Rachael Langley is famous for putting him away. So is it a copycat or did she get it wrong all those years ago?
Not going to say anymore about the plot, but there is so much going on in this story. You need to read it.
Set on the NSW Central Coast, Unforgiven is not a easy read. It deals with crimes against children and murder and at times I did struggle with that. There are alot of characters to dislike and alot that you will love.'
Thank you to Harlequin Books Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. Out in Australia December 1st.
Unforgiven is a crime thriller with everything. It is dark, it is clever and it is addictive. I Absolutely loved Lexi - and her neighbour Dawny was hilarious! When I saw the tag line "Once a victim, she's now a vigilante" I knew that I had to read it. I love a good crime story, and Australian authors so it was a no brainer really. Easily 5 stars and I really hope we see more from Lexi in the future.
Lexi Winter is not somebody you want to get off side. She may be an alcoholic prostitute but she is so much more than that. She is a talented hacker, and knows how to find bad people online, on the dark web. She has successfully found enough information to put these men away for despicable crimes. But now she has trouble of her own to worry about.
She is also a surviving victim of The Spider. It has made her tough and fearless. The Spider is in prison, so how can there be an identical murder? DI Rachael Langley is famous for putting him away. So is it a copycat or did she get it wrong all those years ago?
Not going to say anymore about the plot, but there is so much going on in this story. You need to read it.
Set on the NSW Central Coast, Unforgiven is not a easy read. It deals with crimes against children and murder and at times I did struggle with that. There are alot of characters to dislike and alot that you will love.'
Thank you to Harlequin Books Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. Out in Australia December 1st.
March 20, 2022
I could not put this down!
Happily, my first five-star read of the year. There are some horrific themes in this novel, but they are realistic and necessary (even in their sadism) for the crime. Protagonist Lexi is a standout female character, and I would read anything she featured in after this novel. Excellent writing, dark humour (very Stuart MacBride), and the plot cleverly winds, loops and unfolds.
Excellent Australian fiction and fingers-crossed this becomes a series.
Happily, my first five-star read of the year. There are some horrific themes in this novel, but they are realistic and necessary (even in their sadism) for the crime. Protagonist Lexi is a standout female character, and I would read anything she featured in after this novel. Excellent writing, dark humour (very Stuart MacBride), and the plot cleverly winds, loops and unfolds.
Excellent Australian fiction and fingers-crossed this becomes a series.
December 12, 2021
After reading just the first paragraph of this book I was hooked!
Lexi is a prostitute/escort who earns enough to keep herself afloat, but having grown up on the streets after a traumatic childhood, she is feisty and independent. During her own time, she cyberstalks paedophiles and tries to bring them down. After being caught in the wrong place, at the wrong time, Lexi finds herself a person of interest to the police and they are getting far too close for comfort as far as she is concerned.
The downside of the book, which is also its strength is the content is heavily based on child abuse and paedophilia. For some, this will make it a most unpleasant read.
Having said that, the story is told with a good dose of humour (without detracting from the seriousness of the. content) and wonderful characters.
I can highly recommend this book! Thank you Harelquin Australia, HQ &MIRA, and netgalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Lexi is a prostitute/escort who earns enough to keep herself afloat, but having grown up on the streets after a traumatic childhood, she is feisty and independent. During her own time, she cyberstalks paedophiles and tries to bring them down. After being caught in the wrong place, at the wrong time, Lexi finds herself a person of interest to the police and they are getting far too close for comfort as far as she is concerned.
The downside of the book, which is also its strength is the content is heavily based on child abuse and paedophilia. For some, this will make it a most unpleasant read.
Having said that, the story is told with a good dose of humour (without detracting from the seriousness of the. content) and wonderful characters.
I can highly recommend this book! Thank you Harelquin Australia, HQ &MIRA, and netgalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 14, 2022
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Unforgiven by Sarah Barrie. (2021).
**Thank you to Harlequin Australia for sending me a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review; published 1 December 2021**
Lexi is tough, street-smart and has stood on her own two feet since childhood, when she was a victim of the notorious paedophile the Spider. She is now an ace hacker, tracking and entrapping local paedophiles. She's thrown into the deep end when she accidentally witnesses a paedophile's death. Detective Inspector Rachael is the cop who cracked the Spider case, 18 years ago - but failed to protect Lexi. Now a man claiming to be the real Spider is emulating his murderous acts. Did she get it wrong all those years ago or is this killer a copycat? Lexi and Rachael cross paths at last, with the Spider in their sights... but they may be too late...
Having read a few of the author's previous novels, I had a pretty good feeling I would enjoy this and I was right. This novel has a dark tone with very confronting issues throughout. As we learn more about Lexi's childhood, it's clear that she horrifically suffered and that can be hard to read knowing that these things happen in real life. I really appreciated Lexi's character; she was damaged but owned her flaws, she was intelligent, blunt and quite funny with her sass at times. I sincerely hope that there will be a sequel because not only was Lexi such an intriguing character, there were definitely a few loose ends that have clear potential for future novels.
Overall: I would highly recommend this novel for any fans of the thriller genre.
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Unforgiven by Sarah Barrie. (2021).
**Thank you to Harlequin Australia for sending me a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review; published 1 December 2021**
Lexi is tough, street-smart and has stood on her own two feet since childhood, when she was a victim of the notorious paedophile the Spider. She is now an ace hacker, tracking and entrapping local paedophiles. She's thrown into the deep end when she accidentally witnesses a paedophile's death. Detective Inspector Rachael is the cop who cracked the Spider case, 18 years ago - but failed to protect Lexi. Now a man claiming to be the real Spider is emulating his murderous acts. Did she get it wrong all those years ago or is this killer a copycat? Lexi and Rachael cross paths at last, with the Spider in their sights... but they may be too late...
Having read a few of the author's previous novels, I had a pretty good feeling I would enjoy this and I was right. This novel has a dark tone with very confronting issues throughout. As we learn more about Lexi's childhood, it's clear that she horrifically suffered and that can be hard to read knowing that these things happen in real life. I really appreciated Lexi's character; she was damaged but owned her flaws, she was intelligent, blunt and quite funny with her sass at times. I sincerely hope that there will be a sequel because not only was Lexi such an intriguing character, there were definitely a few loose ends that have clear potential for future novels.
Overall: I would highly recommend this novel for any fans of the thriller genre.
February 4, 2022
From a young age, Lexi Winter had been made to stand on her own two feet and she was someone you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of that’s for sure. Lexi knew how it felt to feel unloved as she had lived on the streets and been abused, but all of that only made her a tougher person.
Lexi is a character that drew me into the storyline straight away and as I turned each page and I was nearing the end, I was so intrigued to know how this book would finish and I can honestly say I wasn’t disappointed. Aussie author Sarah Barrie has done an excellent job in writing and creating a character like Lexi and I’m hoping this won’t be the last we see of her. With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my digital copy to read and review. Highly recommended.
Lexi is a character that drew me into the storyline straight away and as I turned each page and I was nearing the end, I was so intrigued to know how this book would finish and I can honestly say I wasn’t disappointed. Aussie author Sarah Barrie has done an excellent job in writing and creating a character like Lexi and I’m hoping this won’t be the last we see of her. With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my digital copy to read and review. Highly recommended.
February 19, 2023
4.5 stars
Unforgiven takes place over a three week period but the action is so full on it feels much longer.
Told through first person narration by Lexi, former victim now vigilante paedophile hunter. I feel this type of narrative gives the reader a more personal look at Lexi, how she feels and why she acts the way she does. An alternating third person narrative is also given for DI Rachael Langley. The alternating narratives keep the story moving at a fast pace.
I did find the content of child abuse, paedophilia and child murder deeply disturbing and very hard to read at times.
Barrie highlights the complexity of the dark web with its numerous hidden portals and the difficulty police have with breaking into these sites and making arrests before they close down.
As Rachael and her team try to catch a deadly paedophile calling himself The Spider they are hampered by the stretched resources of police and community services and the limited power they have to act on information received.
Barrie does add a little humour into what is otherwise a dark read with Lexi's neighbour Dawny who has a few tricks up her sleeve when Lexi is in need of help. Dawny was a fun character and a warning to us all to never underestimate the old lady who lives across the road.
Unforgiven is a gripping, tension filled read that exposes the fragility of children and the extraordinary work of the people trying to protect them.
*I received my copy from the publisher
Unforgiven takes place over a three week period but the action is so full on it feels much longer.
Told through first person narration by Lexi, former victim now vigilante paedophile hunter. I feel this type of narrative gives the reader a more personal look at Lexi, how she feels and why she acts the way she does. An alternating third person narrative is also given for DI Rachael Langley. The alternating narratives keep the story moving at a fast pace.
I did find the content of child abuse, paedophilia and child murder deeply disturbing and very hard to read at times.
Barrie highlights the complexity of the dark web with its numerous hidden portals and the difficulty police have with breaking into these sites and making arrests before they close down.
As Rachael and her team try to catch a deadly paedophile calling himself The Spider they are hampered by the stretched resources of police and community services and the limited power they have to act on information received.
Barrie does add a little humour into what is otherwise a dark read with Lexi's neighbour Dawny who has a few tricks up her sleeve when Lexi is in need of help. Dawny was a fun character and a warning to us all to never underestimate the old lady who lives across the road.
Unforgiven is a gripping, tension filled read that exposes the fragility of children and the extraordinary work of the people trying to protect them.
*I received my copy from the publisher
October 12, 2022
Unforgiven is a thriller that introduces two strong female lead characters - Lexi Winter and Detective Inspector Rachael Langley and it gets off to a memorable start. Make no mistake, Sarah Barrie tackles dominant themes that are dark and confronting with an organised paedophile ring offering some of the worst kinds of criminal behaviour. But this is a story that is finely constructed and populated with some tough and admirable characters making the story compulsively readable.
Lexi has a body to dispose of - a paedophile who was murdered while she was upstairs, skulking around in his home office. Of all the rotten timing!
Somehow, regardless of the seriousness of the situation, the entire process of dealing with the corpse is given a virtual slapstick feel. In fact Lexi, along with the help of her elderly neighbour Dawny, performed a double act in the early stages of the book that amounted to some quality low-brow humour.
Lexi Winter is the ultimate survivor. She was the victim of childhood sexual abuse but managed to fight back, protecting her younger sister and forging a life for herself. She’s still carrying emotional scars with a definite alcohol problem but, armed with crazy-good hacking ability, has been acting as an on-line vigilante bringing down paedophiles and other predators.
Detective Inspector Rachael Langley has made a name for herself catching and putting away a man known as the Spider. He was responsible for a horrifying series of murders, all of them young girls. There is a suggestion, however, that she may have caught and imprisoned the wrong man when she receives a phone call from someone purporting to be the real Spider.
And then, horrifyingly, he proves it.
The resulting murder investigation kicks off in Gosford with the same team assembled as the one that worked on the original Spider case. It’s an investigation that begins to draw in resources from whatever avenue that’s available. And that’s how slowly, ever so slowly, Lexi is drawn in - the work that she’s already done to pull in invaluable information about the local paedophile ring proving too much to ignore.
With the forces of both Lexi and Rachael combined the pace of the story increases rapidly. The task of identifying the killer before more victims fall prey to this new threat gives the story a definite sense of urgency.
Sarah Barrie does a good job of presenting the present danger of the police investigation while also gradually drawing out the harrowing past in which both Lexi and Rachael have been deeply affected. She achieves the careful balance of revealing valuable information about both without confusing or interrupting the main storyline.
What was particularly interesting was the contrast between the two main characters. Whereas Lexi was highly dismissive of the controls, procedures and rules under which the police operated, preferring to simply Get. It. Done., Rachael was far more measured in her approach. The way each approached the job highlighted the background from which they came and, while it probably shouldn’t have worked, it somehow does.
I found Unforgiven to repeatedly hit high notes, compelling me on at an increasingly frenetic pace. I became fully invested in Lexi’s progress as she was allowed to display her developing investigative abilities. While the subject matter is confronting there’s no getting away from the fact that it smacks of real life in the twenty-first century. This has the hallmarks of the start of a notable series that will garner a substantial following as long as Lexi is permitted to fully express herself.
Lexi has a body to dispose of - a paedophile who was murdered while she was upstairs, skulking around in his home office. Of all the rotten timing!
Somehow, regardless of the seriousness of the situation, the entire process of dealing with the corpse is given a virtual slapstick feel. In fact Lexi, along with the help of her elderly neighbour Dawny, performed a double act in the early stages of the book that amounted to some quality low-brow humour.
“I like to think of myself as a bit of a tough arse…So it’s a little humbling to realise a senior citizen with a dodgy knee and a talent for making pies can manipulate a big, stinking body into a chest freezer and feel nothing more than a genuine sense of achievement, while my stomach lurches in all directions, close to passing out.”
Lexi Winter is the ultimate survivor. She was the victim of childhood sexual abuse but managed to fight back, protecting her younger sister and forging a life for herself. She’s still carrying emotional scars with a definite alcohol problem but, armed with crazy-good hacking ability, has been acting as an on-line vigilante bringing down paedophiles and other predators.
Detective Inspector Rachael Langley has made a name for herself catching and putting away a man known as the Spider. He was responsible for a horrifying series of murders, all of them young girls. There is a suggestion, however, that she may have caught and imprisoned the wrong man when she receives a phone call from someone purporting to be the real Spider.
And then, horrifyingly, he proves it.
The resulting murder investigation kicks off in Gosford with the same team assembled as the one that worked on the original Spider case. It’s an investigation that begins to draw in resources from whatever avenue that’s available. And that’s how slowly, ever so slowly, Lexi is drawn in - the work that she’s already done to pull in invaluable information about the local paedophile ring proving too much to ignore.
With the forces of both Lexi and Rachael combined the pace of the story increases rapidly. The task of identifying the killer before more victims fall prey to this new threat gives the story a definite sense of urgency.
Sarah Barrie does a good job of presenting the present danger of the police investigation while also gradually drawing out the harrowing past in which both Lexi and Rachael have been deeply affected. She achieves the careful balance of revealing valuable information about both without confusing or interrupting the main storyline.
What was particularly interesting was the contrast between the two main characters. Whereas Lexi was highly dismissive of the controls, procedures and rules under which the police operated, preferring to simply Get. It. Done., Rachael was far more measured in her approach. The way each approached the job highlighted the background from which they came and, while it probably shouldn’t have worked, it somehow does.
I found Unforgiven to repeatedly hit high notes, compelling me on at an increasingly frenetic pace. I became fully invested in Lexi’s progress as she was allowed to display her developing investigative abilities. While the subject matter is confronting there’s no getting away from the fact that it smacks of real life in the twenty-first century. This has the hallmarks of the start of a notable series that will garner a substantial following as long as Lexi is permitted to fully express herself.
October 7, 2022
Unforgiven is a tense Aussie police thriller about a young woman who survived horrendous childhood abuse and now helps catch paedophiles in her spare time while working as an escort. I bought it because I was offered an ARC of the sequel and saw all the 5 star reviews - and I do have a weakness for female vigilante plot lines. I found it to be well written and exciting with three likeable main characters, but nothing I haven’t read before, and it had a very predictable plot and outcome.
Lexi Winter is a skilled hacker, who numbs the pain of her past with Jack Daniels and entraps predators online, while doing whatever she must to pay the bills. Rachael Langley is a successful detective in Gosford, New South Wales. Eighteen years earlier, she caught a serial killer known as The Spider, but now a copycat has struck, and is calling her directly, making her question whether she put the right man away. Rachael, and her nephew Finn, need Lexi’s help to stop more young girls being taken, but can she overcome her distrust of the police and will they let her use her special - if illegal - skills to do so?
If you think Lexi sounds like an Australian Lisbeth Salander, you’re right, but with more of a sense of humour. “That scene in Fifty Shades of Grey comes to mind: the one where the fucked-in-the-head rapist-slash-romantic hero purchases masking tape, cable ties and a length of rope and convinces the twit serving him that it’s a turn-on.” Her sarcasm cracked me up and lightened what could’ve been an otherwise grim read. While this covers dark topics, it spares us any graphic details and all the abuse happens “off-camera”.
The chapters mostly alternate between Lexi in first person POV narration, and Rachael & Finn’s third person past. There are frequent flashbacks to the past, which got confusing a times, as they are not dated - some “Then” and “Now” headings would fix this. I loved Lexi’s shady elderly neighbour Dawny, and attachment to her only “pet”, Mojo. While I saw some parts of the plot coming a mile off, there were twists that surprised me and I liked the way the ending wrapped matters up while leaving some questions for the next book to answer. A solid 4 stars from me.
Lexi Winter is a skilled hacker, who numbs the pain of her past with Jack Daniels and entraps predators online, while doing whatever she must to pay the bills. Rachael Langley is a successful detective in Gosford, New South Wales. Eighteen years earlier, she caught a serial killer known as The Spider, but now a copycat has struck, and is calling her directly, making her question whether she put the right man away. Rachael, and her nephew Finn, need Lexi’s help to stop more young girls being taken, but can she overcome her distrust of the police and will they let her use her special - if illegal - skills to do so?
If you think Lexi sounds like an Australian Lisbeth Salander, you’re right, but with more of a sense of humour. “That scene in Fifty Shades of Grey comes to mind: the one where the fucked-in-the-head rapist-slash-romantic hero purchases masking tape, cable ties and a length of rope and convinces the twit serving him that it’s a turn-on.” Her sarcasm cracked me up and lightened what could’ve been an otherwise grim read. While this covers dark topics, it spares us any graphic details and all the abuse happens “off-camera”.
The chapters mostly alternate between Lexi in first person POV narration, and Rachael & Finn’s third person past. There are frequent flashbacks to the past, which got confusing a times, as they are not dated - some “Then” and “Now” headings would fix this. I loved Lexi’s shady elderly neighbour Dawny, and attachment to her only “pet”, Mojo. While I saw some parts of the plot coming a mile off, there were twists that surprised me and I liked the way the ending wrapped matters up while leaving some questions for the next book to answer. A solid 4 stars from me.
December 26, 2021
I'd previously only read one other book by this author, from the Calico Lodge series, but even judging by the covers of her other books, Unforgiven seems to be a change in direction. This one is dark. There's no getting around the fact that a story about child abuse, abduction and murder is going to be pretty heavy-going, but if you can stomach the subject matter, and you enjoy a good thriller, this one might be for you!
The main characters are fabulous, but in particular I'd love to meet Lexi Winter and DI Rachael Langley again in future books. Of the minor characters, I was most fond of Lexi's neighbour, Dawnie (wouldn't want to live next door to her myself, but she was great on the page). Perhaps one disadvantage of reading the audio edition was that it took me a while to sort out all the female characters in my mind - I'm sure it would have been easier in print. The plot moves along at a good clip, and the procedural aspects of the story seemed convincing. One or two elements of the final act may have been somewhat predictable, but that didn't detract from the thrill at all.
If this is going to turn into a series, I'm in.
The main characters are fabulous, but in particular I'd love to meet Lexi Winter and DI Rachael Langley again in future books. Of the minor characters, I was most fond of Lexi's neighbour, Dawnie (wouldn't want to live next door to her myself, but she was great on the page). Perhaps one disadvantage of reading the audio edition was that it took me a while to sort out all the female characters in my mind - I'm sure it would have been easier in print. The plot moves along at a good clip, and the procedural aspects of the story seemed convincing. One or two elements of the final act may have been somewhat predictable, but that didn't detract from the thrill at all.
If this is going to turn into a series, I'm in.
June 11, 2022
Unforgiven by Sarah Barrie
Synopsis /
Lexi Winter is tough, street-smart and has stood on her own two feet since childhood, when she was a victim of notorious paedophile the Spider. All she cares about now is a roof over her head and her long-term relationship with Johnny Walker. She isn't particular about who she sleeps with ... as long as they pay before leaving.
Lexi is also an ace hacker, tracking and entrapping local paedophiles and reporting them to the cops. When she finds a particularly dangerous paedophile who the police can't touch, she decides to gather enough evidence to put him away. Instead, she's a witness to his death.
Detective Inspector Rachael Langley is the cop who cracked the Spider case, 18 years earlier - but failed to protect Lexi. Now a man claiming to be the real Spider is emulating his murderous acts, and Rachael is under pressure from government, media and her police colleagues. Did she get it wrong all those years ago, or is this killer is a copycat?
My Thoughts /
Sarah Barrie, where have you been all my life!!
Unforgiven by Australian author, Sarah Barrie is dark gritty crime novel set in the suburban eastern coast of New South Wales, but this is a book that focuses more on the who and the what rather than the where.
The 'who' being, Lexie Winter. Lexie is a smashing protagonist. She's smart. She's tough. A whizz with computers. She's got loads of 'street-smarts'. But more importantly, Lexie is a survivor. As a child, Lexie became a victim of a notorious paedophile and serial killer called Thomas Biddle, otherwise known as 'The Spider'. The paedophile network Biddle controlled even included Lexie's own parents. Talk about bad parenting! Lexie is the quintessential flawed character - she drinks too much; she has what you could describe as a [ahem] 'patchy' employment history, with the majority of her income being derived from outsourcing herself as an escort. But, there’s a lot more to Lexi than she portrays - Barrie has written a terrific characterisation. Despite her dubious upbringing, Lexie is a surprisingly functional and well-adjusted adult. She maintains a good relationship with her sister, Bailee, who works as a child protection officer. Putting her computer skills to good use, Lexie is able to help Bailee uncover predators and bad guys online, by posing as an underage girl on known paedophile sites.
When the body of a young girl is discovered among bushland on the central coast of NSW, the similarities to the murder and to the murder scene have police thinking it is the work of Thomas Biddle. Only thing is, Biddle has been in prison for the past 18 years. Detective Inspector Rachael Langley is brought in to investigate and because of the astounding similarities between this present case and the murders committed by Biddle, doubt is thrown on his conviction and he calls for an early release. Lexie has no such doubts about Biddle's guilt, so determined to prove the latest murder is the work of a copycat, Lexi is reunited with Detective Inspector Rachael Langley, who was the original arresting officer 18 years ago.
The story alternates between Lexie and Detective Langley, as they investigate the case and try to track down the perpetrator. As the guilt or innocence of Biddle is questioned, Rachael’s credibility flails and her confidence wanes, but Lexie is steadfast - Biddle is guilty.
This is just a rollercoaster of a ride from start to finish - with twists and turns you won't see coming - the suspense skyrocketing at just the right moments. Barrie did not tie up all the loose ends at the conclusion of the book, and I'm okay with that, only if we can have more of Lexie, Bailee and Detective Langley very soon, because I am sure there are more criminals on the horizon and cold cases yet to be solved.
Synopsis /
Lexi Winter is tough, street-smart and has stood on her own two feet since childhood, when she was a victim of notorious paedophile the Spider. All she cares about now is a roof over her head and her long-term relationship with Johnny Walker. She isn't particular about who she sleeps with ... as long as they pay before leaving.
Lexi is also an ace hacker, tracking and entrapping local paedophiles and reporting them to the cops. When she finds a particularly dangerous paedophile who the police can't touch, she decides to gather enough evidence to put him away. Instead, she's a witness to his death.
Detective Inspector Rachael Langley is the cop who cracked the Spider case, 18 years earlier - but failed to protect Lexi. Now a man claiming to be the real Spider is emulating his murderous acts, and Rachael is under pressure from government, media and her police colleagues. Did she get it wrong all those years ago, or is this killer is a copycat?
My Thoughts /
Sarah Barrie, where have you been all my life!!
Unforgiven by Australian author, Sarah Barrie is dark gritty crime novel set in the suburban eastern coast of New South Wales, but this is a book that focuses more on the who and the what rather than the where.
The 'who' being, Lexie Winter. Lexie is a smashing protagonist. She's smart. She's tough. A whizz with computers. She's got loads of 'street-smarts'. But more importantly, Lexie is a survivor. As a child, Lexie became a victim of a notorious paedophile and serial killer called Thomas Biddle, otherwise known as 'The Spider'. The paedophile network Biddle controlled even included Lexie's own parents. Talk about bad parenting! Lexie is the quintessential flawed character - she drinks too much; she has what you could describe as a [ahem] 'patchy' employment history, with the majority of her income being derived from outsourcing herself as an escort. But, there’s a lot more to Lexi than she portrays - Barrie has written a terrific characterisation. Despite her dubious upbringing, Lexie is a surprisingly functional and well-adjusted adult. She maintains a good relationship with her sister, Bailee, who works as a child protection officer. Putting her computer skills to good use, Lexie is able to help Bailee uncover predators and bad guys online, by posing as an underage girl on known paedophile sites.
When the body of a young girl is discovered among bushland on the central coast of NSW, the similarities to the murder and to the murder scene have police thinking it is the work of Thomas Biddle. Only thing is, Biddle has been in prison for the past 18 years. Detective Inspector Rachael Langley is brought in to investigate and because of the astounding similarities between this present case and the murders committed by Biddle, doubt is thrown on his conviction and he calls for an early release. Lexie has no such doubts about Biddle's guilt, so determined to prove the latest murder is the work of a copycat, Lexi is reunited with Detective Inspector Rachael Langley, who was the original arresting officer 18 years ago.
The story alternates between Lexie and Detective Langley, as they investigate the case and try to track down the perpetrator. As the guilt or innocence of Biddle is questioned, Rachael’s credibility flails and her confidence wanes, but Lexie is steadfast - Biddle is guilty.
This is just a rollercoaster of a ride from start to finish - with twists and turns you won't see coming - the suspense skyrocketing at just the right moments. Barrie did not tie up all the loose ends at the conclusion of the book, and I'm okay with that, only if we can have more of Lexie, Bailee and Detective Langley very soon, because I am sure there are more criminals on the horizon and cold cases yet to be solved.
February 25, 2023
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
Headed by a gritty and unstoppable heroine, Unforgiven is a suspense thriller from Aussie author Sarah Barrie. Published in December 2021, Unforgiven is a tense and compelling mystery tale, perfect for readers who appreciate gritty mystery novels featuring a tough as nails lead.
Unforgiven sees enigmatic lead Lexi Winter battle it out in a tough round of crime detective work. Lexi is her own woman, who is most at ease when she is busy tracking down criminals. Lexi is an independent and fierce spirit who doesn’t allow people to get too close. Lexi’s work as a talented hacker sees her ensnare a dangerous paedophile, but as soon as she is ready to present his case to the authorities he dies. Lexi is once again thrown into the path of Detective Inspector Rachael Langley. Together this duo must overcome their vulnerabilities and previous failings to capture a killer who is copying the work of a dangerous killer that they both know too well. Will the combined efforts of Lexi and Rachael finally bring the notorious criminal known as the Spider to justice?
I’ve had the pleasure of reading a number of novels by Sarah Barrie. I’m not sure why I let this one pass me by when it was first released but the recent publication of Barrie’s next Lexi Winter title Retribution encouraged me to dust this one off my shelves. I really enjoyed this gritty crime novel.
Lexi Winter, boy what a character this rough and tough lady is! In Unforgiven, we see that Lexi has her flaws as well as some vulnerabilities. It was great to delve further into this colourful character’s history and back story. Barrie ties in the story of the Spider well and I appreciated the links made to Detective Rachael Langley. Detective Inspector Rachael Langley also directs the flow of this tale. We see this core protagonist’s achievements, strengths, failings and fears. I enjoyed getting to know Rachael in a professional and personal manner as the story progressed. Barrie’s plot is dark, abrasive, unyielding and intriguing. I didn’t know how things were going to turn out, especially due to the rather difficult investigation matter involving crimes against children. However, everything was handled with plenty of sensitivity and authenticity. I was kept on my toes throughout and I couldn’t envisage how it would end. A thunderous pace rounds this story off nicely, paving the way for another thrill ride with Lexi Winter.
A book that will leave you wired, on edge and agog, Unforgiven is another gutsy Lexi Winter title from Sarah Barrie.
*I wish to thank Harlequin Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
Headed by a gritty and unstoppable heroine, Unforgiven is a suspense thriller from Aussie author Sarah Barrie. Published in December 2021, Unforgiven is a tense and compelling mystery tale, perfect for readers who appreciate gritty mystery novels featuring a tough as nails lead.
Unforgiven sees enigmatic lead Lexi Winter battle it out in a tough round of crime detective work. Lexi is her own woman, who is most at ease when she is busy tracking down criminals. Lexi is an independent and fierce spirit who doesn’t allow people to get too close. Lexi’s work as a talented hacker sees her ensnare a dangerous paedophile, but as soon as she is ready to present his case to the authorities he dies. Lexi is once again thrown into the path of Detective Inspector Rachael Langley. Together this duo must overcome their vulnerabilities and previous failings to capture a killer who is copying the work of a dangerous killer that they both know too well. Will the combined efforts of Lexi and Rachael finally bring the notorious criminal known as the Spider to justice?
I’ve had the pleasure of reading a number of novels by Sarah Barrie. I’m not sure why I let this one pass me by when it was first released but the recent publication of Barrie’s next Lexi Winter title Retribution encouraged me to dust this one off my shelves. I really enjoyed this gritty crime novel.
Lexi Winter, boy what a character this rough and tough lady is! In Unforgiven, we see that Lexi has her flaws as well as some vulnerabilities. It was great to delve further into this colourful character’s history and back story. Barrie ties in the story of the Spider well and I appreciated the links made to Detective Rachael Langley. Detective Inspector Rachael Langley also directs the flow of this tale. We see this core protagonist’s achievements, strengths, failings and fears. I enjoyed getting to know Rachael in a professional and personal manner as the story progressed. Barrie’s plot is dark, abrasive, unyielding and intriguing. I didn’t know how things were going to turn out, especially due to the rather difficult investigation matter involving crimes against children. However, everything was handled with plenty of sensitivity and authenticity. I was kept on my toes throughout and I couldn’t envisage how it would end. A thunderous pace rounds this story off nicely, paving the way for another thrill ride with Lexi Winter.
A book that will leave you wired, on edge and agog, Unforgiven is another gutsy Lexi Winter title from Sarah Barrie.
*I wish to thank Harlequin Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
February 9, 2022
Unforgiven wasn't at times an easy read, based as it is around themes of historical child abuse and organised paedophile rings. However, Sarah Barrie has undeniably created an unflinchingly gritty and compulsively readable crime-thriller. Readers who, like myself, don't mind some darkness and confronting themes in their crime fiction, will find Unforgiven difficult to put down once started.
The style of Unforgiven is quite distinct from earlier works of hers that I've previously read, which sit in the romantic-thriller subgenre (the Calico Mountain trilogy).
The story opens with Lexi Winter, a tough loner who struggles with alcohol abuse and other risk-taking behaviours as she tries to reconcile herself with her horrific past. On this particular morning, Lexi has a more immediate issue to deal with - the body of a man named Jonathan Davies is outside her Central Coast (NSW) unit, hidden in the boot of her car...
As the narrative unfolds, we learn more about Lexi's disjointed life as an occasional sex worker and her personal crusade hunting child sex predators online.
Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Rachael Langley maintains a demanding career as a member of the State Crime Command's Homicide Unit. Despite her significant professional achievements over the years, notably in bringing notorious serial child murderer Thomas "The Spider" Biddle to justice, she remains haunted by her role in a child abuse case early in her career. When she receives a frightening phone call while enjoying a romantic dinner with her partner, Homicide Commander Superintendent Ed O'Hanlon, Rachael's attention is immediately drawn back to the investigation that defined her career. The stakes are raised when a child is found murdered in Gosford, the body staged in a way that seems to mirror the crimes of Thomas Biddle twenty years previously.
As Rachael's team heads to Gosford to investigate, Lexi comes to rely on the unlikely assistance of her neighbour Dawny in dealing with the little problem in her car boot. This storyline gives rise to many welcome moments of black humour as Lexi scrambles to stay barely one step ahead of authorities investigating Davies' disappearance.
The parallel storylines converge as our two very different heroines join forces to identify a cunning killer and desperately strive to prevent more children falling victim to a vicious web of paedophiles active on the Central Coast.
Sarah Barrie's plotting is well-paced and complex, without ever becoming convoluted, maintaining the reader's interest in both parallel storylines and skilfully using foreshadowing and the drip-feeding of historical details to maintain suspense. Both female main characters are well-conceived and convincing, the attitudes and behaviour of the highly intelligent but damaged Lexi providing an intriguing foil to Rachael's more orthodox police perspective.
Unforgiven raises some confronting moral questions about seeking vengeance for past wrongs, vigilante justice and the grey areas in the criminal justice system. However, it's hard not to cheer for a character who leverages her own appalling past experiences into a quest for moral (if not strictly legal) justice on behalf of others.
I found Unforgiven compulsively readable, despite its dark subject matter, and look forward to reading Sarah Barrie's future work in the competitive Aussie Noir genre - she's up there with the best! Substantial trigger warnings notwithstanding, I'd wholeheartedly recommend Unforgiven to any reader who loves gritty crime fiction in a contemporary setting. Readers who enjoy Candice Fox, Val McDermid and Stuart MacBride will gobble this one up - and those are not associations I bestow lightly!
My sincere thanks to the author, Sarah Barrie, publisher Harlequin Australia, HQ Fiction and MIRA, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this fabulous new title.
The style of Unforgiven is quite distinct from earlier works of hers that I've previously read, which sit in the romantic-thriller subgenre (the Calico Mountain trilogy).
The story opens with Lexi Winter, a tough loner who struggles with alcohol abuse and other risk-taking behaviours as she tries to reconcile herself with her horrific past. On this particular morning, Lexi has a more immediate issue to deal with - the body of a man named Jonathan Davies is outside her Central Coast (NSW) unit, hidden in the boot of her car...
As the narrative unfolds, we learn more about Lexi's disjointed life as an occasional sex worker and her personal crusade hunting child sex predators online.
Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Rachael Langley maintains a demanding career as a member of the State Crime Command's Homicide Unit. Despite her significant professional achievements over the years, notably in bringing notorious serial child murderer Thomas "The Spider" Biddle to justice, she remains haunted by her role in a child abuse case early in her career. When she receives a frightening phone call while enjoying a romantic dinner with her partner, Homicide Commander Superintendent Ed O'Hanlon, Rachael's attention is immediately drawn back to the investigation that defined her career. The stakes are raised when a child is found murdered in Gosford, the body staged in a way that seems to mirror the crimes of Thomas Biddle twenty years previously.
As Rachael's team heads to Gosford to investigate, Lexi comes to rely on the unlikely assistance of her neighbour Dawny in dealing with the little problem in her car boot. This storyline gives rise to many welcome moments of black humour as Lexi scrambles to stay barely one step ahead of authorities investigating Davies' disappearance.
The parallel storylines converge as our two very different heroines join forces to identify a cunning killer and desperately strive to prevent more children falling victim to a vicious web of paedophiles active on the Central Coast.
Sarah Barrie's plotting is well-paced and complex, without ever becoming convoluted, maintaining the reader's interest in both parallel storylines and skilfully using foreshadowing and the drip-feeding of historical details to maintain suspense. Both female main characters are well-conceived and convincing, the attitudes and behaviour of the highly intelligent but damaged Lexi providing an intriguing foil to Rachael's more orthodox police perspective.
Unforgiven raises some confronting moral questions about seeking vengeance for past wrongs, vigilante justice and the grey areas in the criminal justice system. However, it's hard not to cheer for a character who leverages her own appalling past experiences into a quest for moral (if not strictly legal) justice on behalf of others.
I found Unforgiven compulsively readable, despite its dark subject matter, and look forward to reading Sarah Barrie's future work in the competitive Aussie Noir genre - she's up there with the best! Substantial trigger warnings notwithstanding, I'd wholeheartedly recommend Unforgiven to any reader who loves gritty crime fiction in a contemporary setting. Readers who enjoy Candice Fox, Val McDermid and Stuart MacBride will gobble this one up - and those are not associations I bestow lightly!
My sincere thanks to the author, Sarah Barrie, publisher Harlequin Australia, HQ Fiction and MIRA, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this fabulous new title.
November 15, 2023
I’d had this on my to-read list for a while. I’ve never read anything by Barrie before but it was the part in the book summary about it appealing to Candace Fox fans that caught my attention. I’m a HUGE Fox fan. When I saw the audiobook on NetGalley, I immediately requested it.
The book summary introduces the primary storyline. Lexi is a hot mess! She’s an alcoholic, sex worker who tracks pedophiles with her younger sister Bailey. When Lexi and Bailey were kids, Lexi rescued Bailey from getting molested by the pedophile that was molesting her. Bailey now works with abused kids and Lexi track pedophiles portraying herself online as a young girl and then hacks her way into finding out who they are and where they are and then goes after them. Just want to mention that for this review, I prefer to use the American spelling of pedophile over the Australian spelling of paedophile, however, the story does take place in Australia. Anyway, Lexi tracks these pedophiles by portraying as a young girl online , sometimes with Bailey’s help.
There is another storyline about DI Rachel Langley, the inspector who caught the pedophile who abused and molested Lexi as a child along with other young girls. Rachel is also having a not-so-secret affair with her boss. Apparently, her colleague, Turner, knows about it and he never misses an opportunity to make Rachel look bad since she got the DI promotion over him.
There is another one where Lexi and a pedophiles wife, Charmaine (not sure of the spelling), witness Charmaine’s husband/pedophile, Jonathan, getting killed. The women move the body to Lexi’s car in order to get rid of the body from the murder scene. The next morning, one of Lexi’s neighbors, Donne, smells the body in the trunk and helps Lexi move it to Donne’s deep freezer and then Donne gets rid of Lexi’s car. LOVE DONNE!!! She’s a character!!! I’m not actually sure that’s how her name is spelled, but Lexi pronounces it the same way my name is pronounced (like Donny) so I chose my spelling. For all I know, it’s spelled Dawne (I’ve seen it spelled that way). Who knows, this is one of the drawbacks of an audiobook, not being sure of how names are spelled.
Anyway, at Jonathan’s murder scene, Lexi and Charmaine overheard Jonathan telling his killer (right before he was killed) that the killer should be glad that he got him that job. Shortly thereafter, it turns out Jonathan is the coroner/medical examiner, who was suddenly replaced by someone else that morning at the murder scene of a young girl. The new coroner/medical examiner immediately becomes the #1 suspect, as far as I’m concerned. None of this is a spoiler since it’s all revealed in the first 25% of the story.
The story flips back and forth between Lexi and Rachel, with scattered passages of Rachel and Lexi providing flashback of Lexi’s abuse and molestation when she was a kid and when Rachel first met Lexi almost 20yrs ago. Well into the second half, after Lexi proves herself smarter and much more electronically skilled than the police cybercrime tech, Rachel convinces Lexi to consult with the police in discovering where the pedophile ring is operating and who the organizers and ringleader are. The storylines begin to merge and it’s not long before Lexi and Rachel and her team zero in on what’s going on. The end comes quickly after that with a discovery of a co-conspirator I never saw guessed!!! Oh, and Donne? OMG!!! LOVE DONNE!!!
I like Lexi as well as Barrie, who is a good writer and storyteller. I’ve already added the second installment to my to-read list. I want to thank NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #BolindaAudio #Unforgiven
The book summary introduces the primary storyline. Lexi is a hot mess! She’s an alcoholic, sex worker who tracks pedophiles with her younger sister Bailey. When Lexi and Bailey were kids, Lexi rescued Bailey from getting molested by the pedophile that was molesting her. Bailey now works with abused kids and Lexi track pedophiles portraying herself online as a young girl and then hacks her way into finding out who they are and where they are and then goes after them. Just want to mention that for this review, I prefer to use the American spelling of pedophile over the Australian spelling of paedophile, however, the story does take place in Australia. Anyway, Lexi tracks these pedophiles by portraying as a young girl online , sometimes with Bailey’s help.
There is another storyline about DI Rachel Langley, the inspector who caught the pedophile who abused and molested Lexi as a child along with other young girls. Rachel is also having a not-so-secret affair with her boss. Apparently, her colleague, Turner, knows about it and he never misses an opportunity to make Rachel look bad since she got the DI promotion over him.
There is another one where Lexi and a pedophiles wife, Charmaine (not sure of the spelling), witness Charmaine’s husband/pedophile, Jonathan, getting killed. The women move the body to Lexi’s car in order to get rid of the body from the murder scene. The next morning, one of Lexi’s neighbors, Donne, smells the body in the trunk and helps Lexi move it to Donne’s deep freezer and then Donne gets rid of Lexi’s car. LOVE DONNE!!! She’s a character!!! I’m not actually sure that’s how her name is spelled, but Lexi pronounces it the same way my name is pronounced (like Donny) so I chose my spelling. For all I know, it’s spelled Dawne (I’ve seen it spelled that way). Who knows, this is one of the drawbacks of an audiobook, not being sure of how names are spelled.
Anyway, at Jonathan’s murder scene, Lexi and Charmaine overheard Jonathan telling his killer (right before he was killed) that the killer should be glad that he got him that job. Shortly thereafter, it turns out Jonathan is the coroner/medical examiner, who was suddenly replaced by someone else that morning at the murder scene of a young girl. The new coroner/medical examiner immediately becomes the #1 suspect, as far as I’m concerned. None of this is a spoiler since it’s all revealed in the first 25% of the story.
The story flips back and forth between Lexi and Rachel, with scattered passages of Rachel and Lexi providing flashback of Lexi’s abuse and molestation when she was a kid and when Rachel first met Lexi almost 20yrs ago. Well into the second half, after Lexi proves herself smarter and much more electronically skilled than the police cybercrime tech, Rachel convinces Lexi to consult with the police in discovering where the pedophile ring is operating and who the organizers and ringleader are. The storylines begin to merge and it’s not long before Lexi and Rachel and her team zero in on what’s going on. The end comes quickly after that with a discovery of a co-conspirator I never saw guessed!!! Oh, and Donne? OMG!!! LOVE DONNE!!!
I like Lexi as well as Barrie, who is a good writer and storyteller. I’ve already added the second installment to my to-read list. I want to thank NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #BolindaAudio #Unforgiven
December 3, 2022
Unforgiven is about a second chance of love, forgiveness and vigilance. Lexi Winter was a victim of a notorious paedophile called Spider has a child. Now Lexi Winter only cares about her relationship with a bottle and sleeping with anyone who will pay. Lexi Winter is a hacker looking for paedophiles hiding from the law in the community. Detective Inspector Rachael Langley became famous for catching Spider until she started to question herself after another girl died the same way has Spider victims. Finally, Detective Inspector Rachael Langley meets Lexi again and ask her for help in finding the latest killer. The readers of Unforgiven will continue to follow Detective Inspector Rachael Langley and Lexi to find out what happens.
Sarah Barrie has done it again with Unforgiven. Keeping up with tradition, I engaged with Unforgiven from the first page until the end of the book. I love Sarah Barrie portrayal of her characters and the way they intertwine with each other throughout this book. Unforgiven is well written and researched by Sarah Barrie. I like Sarah Barrie description of the settings of Unforgiven that allowed me to imagine being part of the book's plot.
The readers of Unforgiven will learn about being a hacker and their role in law enforcement investigation. Also, the readers of Unforgiven will understand the consequences of jealousy and revenge in the law enforcement community.
I recommend this book.
Sarah Barrie has done it again with Unforgiven. Keeping up with tradition, I engaged with Unforgiven from the first page until the end of the book. I love Sarah Barrie portrayal of her characters and the way they intertwine with each other throughout this book. Unforgiven is well written and researched by Sarah Barrie. I like Sarah Barrie description of the settings of Unforgiven that allowed me to imagine being part of the book's plot.
The readers of Unforgiven will learn about being a hacker and their role in law enforcement investigation. Also, the readers of Unforgiven will understand the consequences of jealousy and revenge in the law enforcement community.
I recommend this book.
December 9, 2021
Unforgiven is a compelling, gritty thriller from Australian bestselling author, Sarah Barrie.
When the body of a young girl dressed in a mermaid costume is discovered among bushland on the central coast of NSW, doubt is thrown on the conviction and imprisonment of serial killer and paedophile, Thomas Biddle aka The Spider. Lexi Winter has no such doubts, as a victim of Biddle and his paedophile network which included her own parents, she has never forgotten the man who orchestrated her abuse. Determined to prove the latest murder is the work of a copycat, Lexi is reluctantly reunited with Detective Inspector Rachael Langley, who arrested Biddle 18 years ago.
Offering plenty of tense moments, Unforgiven offers a well crafted, fast paced plot. I was caught up in the hunt for the murderous ‘copycat’ as Rachael and Lexi, along with Lexi’s younger sister Bailee, and the members of the task force, work together to expose the truth and prevent the death of any more innocent children.
I liked Lexi a lot, she’s a complex character, essentially a functional alcoholic, who makes her living as an escort. Hardened by her life experiences she is a survivor, tough, resourceful, and sometimes reckless, but also not without her vulnerabilities. It’s brave of Lexi to become involved in the ‘copycat’ case, given both her past, and present (which includes a dead man in her boot), and her general antipathy for authority.
There’s an interesting backstory between Lexi and Rachael which results in tension between the two women that also spills over into Lexi’s relationship another detective on the case who happens to be Rachael’s nephew, Finn Carson. I found both Rachael and Finn to be appealing characters, and I really liked their dynamic with Lexi.
Though Unforgiven deals with the grim subject of child abuse, there is unexpected levity to be found in Lexi’s sarcastic wit, and the behaviour of her remarkably helpful neighbour, Dawny.
Unforgiven is a terrific, riveting read, I’m left with the impression that there will be more books featuring Lexi and her role as a police consultant in the future, and I really hope there will be.
When the body of a young girl dressed in a mermaid costume is discovered among bushland on the central coast of NSW, doubt is thrown on the conviction and imprisonment of serial killer and paedophile, Thomas Biddle aka The Spider. Lexi Winter has no such doubts, as a victim of Biddle and his paedophile network which included her own parents, she has never forgotten the man who orchestrated her abuse. Determined to prove the latest murder is the work of a copycat, Lexi is reluctantly reunited with Detective Inspector Rachael Langley, who arrested Biddle 18 years ago.
Offering plenty of tense moments, Unforgiven offers a well crafted, fast paced plot. I was caught up in the hunt for the murderous ‘copycat’ as Rachael and Lexi, along with Lexi’s younger sister Bailee, and the members of the task force, work together to expose the truth and prevent the death of any more innocent children.
I liked Lexi a lot, she’s a complex character, essentially a functional alcoholic, who makes her living as an escort. Hardened by her life experiences she is a survivor, tough, resourceful, and sometimes reckless, but also not without her vulnerabilities. It’s brave of Lexi to become involved in the ‘copycat’ case, given both her past, and present (which includes a dead man in her boot), and her general antipathy for authority.
There’s an interesting backstory between Lexi and Rachael which results in tension between the two women that also spills over into Lexi’s relationship another detective on the case who happens to be Rachael’s nephew, Finn Carson. I found both Rachael and Finn to be appealing characters, and I really liked their dynamic with Lexi.
Though Unforgiven deals with the grim subject of child abuse, there is unexpected levity to be found in Lexi’s sarcastic wit, and the behaviour of her remarkably helpful neighbour, Dawny.
Unforgiven is a terrific, riveting read, I’m left with the impression that there will be more books featuring Lexi and her role as a police consultant in the future, and I really hope there will be.
November 14, 2021
I’ve read one of Sarah Barrie’s titles and enjoyed it a lot. It was what I would call a rural mystery but Unforgiven has an urban setting and is a much grittier story.
Lexi is an alcoholic prostitute who, in her spare time, hacks into the dark web, infiltrating paedophile rings. Lexi was a victim of one such ring as a child until her main abuser, a man who also murdered several young girls and went by the name of Spider, was caught. Now, 18 years later, a young girl’s body has been found in similar circumstances of those original crimes.
Detective Inspector Rachel Langley is sent to lead up the investigation and is soon contacted by a man claiming he is not only the killer now but was also responsible for the original murders and the man convicted was not the real Spider. This casts a shadow over Rachel’s entire career, considering she was directly promoted due to her cracking the original case.
I usually avoid books featuring crimes against children. Barrie managed to present the horrors of the crimes without too many graphic details but they were still unpleasant enough for me to pause reading when little Chloe was in the news. The one redeeming factor on this score was Unforgiven’s humour. Yes, I know that sounds insane but, at times, this was one of the funniest books I’ve ever read.
This comic relief mostly comes from Lexi’s neighbour, Dawny. I can’t give too many details without spoiling but Dawny really stole the show. (I imagined Jackie Weaver the whole time as I read.) Lexi also had great chemistry with Rachel’s nephew, Finn, who was also a detective working the case and Jim, a young police IT expert.
I highly recommend this fast paced Aussie thriller and I can’t wait for Lexi’s next adventure as, although most of the mystery plot was resolved, this is obviously going to be a series.
4 ½ stars
Lexi is an alcoholic prostitute who, in her spare time, hacks into the dark web, infiltrating paedophile rings. Lexi was a victim of one such ring as a child until her main abuser, a man who also murdered several young girls and went by the name of Spider, was caught. Now, 18 years later, a young girl’s body has been found in similar circumstances of those original crimes.
Detective Inspector Rachel Langley is sent to lead up the investigation and is soon contacted by a man claiming he is not only the killer now but was also responsible for the original murders and the man convicted was not the real Spider. This casts a shadow over Rachel’s entire career, considering she was directly promoted due to her cracking the original case.
I usually avoid books featuring crimes against children. Barrie managed to present the horrors of the crimes without too many graphic details but they were still unpleasant enough for me to pause reading when little Chloe was in the news. The one redeeming factor on this score was Unforgiven’s humour. Yes, I know that sounds insane but, at times, this was one of the funniest books I’ve ever read.
This comic relief mostly comes from Lexi’s neighbour, Dawny. I can’t give too many details without spoiling but Dawny really stole the show. (I imagined Jackie Weaver the whole time as I read.) Lexi also had great chemistry with Rachel’s nephew, Finn, who was also a detective working the case and Jim, a young police IT expert.
I highly recommend this fast paced Aussie thriller and I can’t wait for Lexi’s next adventure as, although most of the mystery plot was resolved, this is obviously going to be a series.
4 ½ stars
April 27, 2023
Excellent crime thriller but that nauseating subject matter… ewww, and they want to normalise this in schools…disgusting. Let’s hope the mothers who send their kids to pre-school know what’s being taught in their kid’s school. Do your homework mothers, the world is no longer normal.
Audio via the BorrowBox app
Published by Bolinda/Harper Collins audio
read by Cecelia Ramsdale
Duration: 12 hrs, 44 min. 1.25x speed
Audio via the BorrowBox app
Published by Bolinda/Harper Collins audio
read by Cecelia Ramsdale
Duration: 12 hrs, 44 min. 1.25x speed
November 19, 2023
I read this on Audiobook thanks to NetGalley, author: Sarah Barrie; narrator: Cecelia Ramsdale; and Publisher: Bolinda Audio.
Set in Australia in current day, this thriller was hard to put down.
Pros: There are several strong female leads, numerous police procedurals, compelling situations, and a killer on the loose.
Cons: Many characters all read by one narrator and although she did an amazing job, I would’ve appreciated an announcement for each chapter with the name of the character and POV it’s highlighting. This was a tough one for me…Plot contains subject matter of pedophilia. Thankfully it’s not detailed but we learn of their ages, their filming, and the outcome of some of the children. I just had to shut it out.
Set in Australia in current day, this thriller was hard to put down.
Pros: There are several strong female leads, numerous police procedurals, compelling situations, and a killer on the loose.
Cons: Many characters all read by one narrator and although she did an amazing job, I would’ve appreciated an announcement for each chapter with the name of the character and POV it’s highlighting. This was a tough one for me…Plot contains subject matter of pedophilia. Thankfully it’s not detailed but we learn of their ages, their filming, and the outcome of some of the children. I just had to shut it out.
December 21, 2021
Copy received from Harper Collins Australia for an honest review
Sarah Barrie, you had me at "once a villian, she's now a vigilante" - and you didn't lose me until I finshed the last word.
Unforgiven has a bit of a noir feel to it for me. It is dark, it is gritty, yet at times I was laughing out loud - I want a Dawny in my life!
Lexi Winter - my goodness that woman is something else. After all that she has been through, she does what she needs to do to survive, all whilst helping from the wrong side of the law.
And she is not someone I would want to p*ss off hahaha.
When her past comes back to haunt her, she doesn't run away from it, she runs at it full pace and tackles everything that comes with it.
I liked how her relationship with Rachael comes back together, and how the trust in each other grows again.
The subject matter is not an easy one, however the way Ms Barrie takes us into the world of child sex trafficking was handled so well (in my opinion) and it will have you sad, it will make you mad, it will make you want to make a difference somehow).
This has been by far my favourite Sarah Barrie book that I have read. I would really like to get more Lexi Winters in the future.
Sarah Barrie, you had me at "once a villian, she's now a vigilante" - and you didn't lose me until I finshed the last word.
Unforgiven has a bit of a noir feel to it for me. It is dark, it is gritty, yet at times I was laughing out loud - I want a Dawny in my life!
Lexi Winter - my goodness that woman is something else. After all that she has been through, she does what she needs to do to survive, all whilst helping from the wrong side of the law.
And she is not someone I would want to p*ss off hahaha.
When her past comes back to haunt her, she doesn't run away from it, she runs at it full pace and tackles everything that comes with it.
I liked how her relationship with Rachael comes back together, and how the trust in each other grows again.
The subject matter is not an easy one, however the way Ms Barrie takes us into the world of child sex trafficking was handled so well (in my opinion) and it will have you sad, it will make you mad, it will make you want to make a difference somehow).
This has been by far my favourite Sarah Barrie book that I have read. I would really like to get more Lexi Winters in the future.
November 25, 2021
‘There’s nothing fragile about who I am.’
Meet Lexi Winter. She’s a survivor: once a victim of notorious paedophile ‘The Spider’, now a vigilante looking to protect other children. Lexi earns some money as a sex worker and knows that she should drink less. But her main focus is on tracking down paedophiles and ensuring that the police know about them. Lexi helps her sister Bailee, a child protection officer, by checking out people they suspect might be abusing children. There’s one offender she’s keen to have put away but her usual methods don’t work to capture the evidence needed. And when Lexi tries to gather evidence from his home, she becomes a witness to his death.
Eighteen years ago, Detective Inspector Rachael Langley cracked the Spider case. But she failed to save Lexi, and lives with her regret. As the Spider languishes in gaol, another man (claiming to be the real Spider) comes to the attention of police. A girl is found murdered, using the Spider’s signature positioning. Is he the real Spider, or a copycat? Some of Rachael’s colleagues think she may have made a mistake 18 years ago, and the media are keen for answers.
I really enjoyed this novel. Lexi is a terrific character as is Rachael. And Lexi’s neighbour Dawny is, well, a very rough (and helpful) diamond. There’s a twist near the end that didn’t quite work for me, but the story held my attention from beginning to end. There are some terrific secondary characters as well, and I would really love to read another novel (or more) featuring Lexi and Rachael.
Recommended.
‘Don’t think of it as leading, think of it as finishing.’
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia HQ for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Meet Lexi Winter. She’s a survivor: once a victim of notorious paedophile ‘The Spider’, now a vigilante looking to protect other children. Lexi earns some money as a sex worker and knows that she should drink less. But her main focus is on tracking down paedophiles and ensuring that the police know about them. Lexi helps her sister Bailee, a child protection officer, by checking out people they suspect might be abusing children. There’s one offender she’s keen to have put away but her usual methods don’t work to capture the evidence needed. And when Lexi tries to gather evidence from his home, she becomes a witness to his death.
Eighteen years ago, Detective Inspector Rachael Langley cracked the Spider case. But she failed to save Lexi, and lives with her regret. As the Spider languishes in gaol, another man (claiming to be the real Spider) comes to the attention of police. A girl is found murdered, using the Spider’s signature positioning. Is he the real Spider, or a copycat? Some of Rachael’s colleagues think she may have made a mistake 18 years ago, and the media are keen for answers.
I really enjoyed this novel. Lexi is a terrific character as is Rachael. And Lexi’s neighbour Dawny is, well, a very rough (and helpful) diamond. There’s a twist near the end that didn’t quite work for me, but the story held my attention from beginning to end. There are some terrific secondary characters as well, and I would really love to read another novel (or more) featuring Lexi and Rachael.
Recommended.
‘Don’t think of it as leading, think of it as finishing.’
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia HQ for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
October 21, 2021
This crime-thriller reads at a terrific pace, and has the feel of a tightly-constructed and highly enjoyable television series. Lexi has chapters in first person present tense and I loved her character - she's a product of the atrocities committed against her as a child but she's also made a success out of her life: she's independent, savvy, skilled and confident. Sure it's a bit improbable that she's a top-notch hacker (easy to see similarities with Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) but she owns it and it makes her very interesting. Her flouting of the law and casual attitude towards crime makes her an enjoyable character to read (the opposite of me so I can live vicariously).
Other chapters are split between the detective who failed Lexi as a ten-year old, Rachael, and Rachael's nephew Finn who is also a detective on the case. Their characters are not so well fleshed out, they help the plot move forward and provide other insights, so they function as devices more than people. Having said that, I did care about them, especially Rachael whose career is on the line with the Spider case, as it appears she had the wrong man locked up years before.
Without a doubt my favourite parts were Lexi's interactions with her older neighbour, Dawny, and Dawny's helpfulness in getting rid of bodies, amongst other things. It's Dawny and Lexi that elevate this novel from your usual crime thriller to something more memorable.
Other chapters are split between the detective who failed Lexi as a ten-year old, Rachael, and Rachael's nephew Finn who is also a detective on the case. Their characters are not so well fleshed out, they help the plot move forward and provide other insights, so they function as devices more than people. Having said that, I did care about them, especially Rachael whose career is on the line with the Spider case, as it appears she had the wrong man locked up years before.
Without a doubt my favourite parts were Lexi's interactions with her older neighbour, Dawny, and Dawny's helpfulness in getting rid of bodies, amongst other things. It's Dawny and Lexi that elevate this novel from your usual crime thriller to something more memorable.
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