Broke Road is a worthy follow-up to Aussie author Matthew Spencer's 2022 hit debut, Black River.

In this instalment, Sydney-based Homicide Detective D.S. Rose Riley and D.C. Priya Patel head north to the (fictional) village of Red Creek, in New South Wales's Hunter Valley wine region. A young married woman has been strangled in her home, a newly built townhouse on a planned residential development. Riley and Patel are soon joined by their friend, trusted journalist-true crime writer Adam Bowman, who series readers will recall as a central character in Black River.

While Riley and Patel, joined by local detective Christian Rodrigues, investigate the circumstances of Penelope Armytage's death and carry out investigations into various local witnesses and potential suspects, Bowman is able to use his journalistic skills to dig deeper into animosities and allegations of political corruption within the Hunter Valley community.

When forensic results indicate a surprise connection to two other murders, one in Canberra and one in Adelaide, Riley must tread carefully to unmask a clever and determined serial killer before he or she strikes again. The tension ramps up to a dramatic final confrontation among the vineyards and boutique hospitality venues of Pokolbin, and Rose is able to find some resolution with her family's past.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Broke Road, and eagerly await further instalments in the series. My thanks to the author, Matthew Spencer, publishers Allen & Unwin (Australia) and Thomas & Mercer (US) (I was fortunate enough to score ARCs from both!) and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this engrossing title.

BROKE ROAD - An enjoyable but wordy read with intriguing story lines that tried for misdirection, a variety of interesting characters, good and bad, and a medium pace. Well written. I selected this book because it is set in AU and I like AU authors. Source: Netgalley and publisher Thomas & Mercer. 4*