Broke Road (Rose Riley #2) by Matthew Spencer

Broke Road is the second crime fiction novel by Australian writer Matthew Spencer, who was a journalist for more than 20 years before his first thriller Black River earned him the award of Best Crime Fiction Debut at the 2023 Danger Awards. The initial book was set in the Parramatta River valley, where Spencer grew up. Broke Road moves a little farther north into the Hunter region, with homicide Detective Sergeant Rose Riley again the main protagonist. Her sidekick Constable Priya Patel and investigative journalist Adam Bowman also reappear.

Riley is sent to an isolated town house outside a small rural settlement in wine country, which is steadily being colonised by “tree changers” from the city, seeking a more relaxed rural existence. Inside, she finds the body of a young woman who apparently died of asphyxiation – but was it natural causes or a murder? The house is locked, with no signs of forced entry. The woman’s husband is a well-known geologist, who seems to have an iron-clad alibi.

The investigation is complicated by the arrival of investigative journalist Adam Bowman. While he and Riley share a romantic attachment, information and theories, eventually their approaches diverge, creating tension between them. Riley is convinced that the victim was murdered, especially when forensic evidence points to two almost identical killings in other parts of the state. Investigation shows that the victims were not randomly murdered, but were stalked, watched and explicitly selected to be killed. Riley realises that she is seeking a serial killer, who might be set to kill again.

The investigation uncovers a range of suspects and some of the dark secrets of a small rural area. Not only is there a killer on the loose, but the community hides stalkers, embezzlers and financial fraudsters. Is one of them also a homicidal maniac, or is the killer a different individual?

Broke Road is a well-constructed police procedural with a believable plot and tightly written dialogue. There is perhaps too much of a proliferation of suspects (not all for the murders), but the ending is well conceived and believable. This developing crime author’s second work is well worth a read.

Reviewed by Peter Maywald
SMSA Member