Barren Cape by Michelle Prak

Michelle Prak knows how to press all the triggers of female fear: the escaped criminal, the psycho stalker, the sleazy stepfather-type abuser, the night-time thugs, drunken party guys, and now even vicious out-of-control teenagers. All of these elements combine to make her latest book an adrenaline pumping thriller that keeps adding on layers of potentially erupting violence. The chapters are short, switching between three female points of view, building the tension until the dramatic conclusion.

Laying the groundwork for this story is the theme of homelessness and the desperation of people trying to find somewhere safe to live. It is a scenario that for many young people is only too familiar, the competition for rental places, the scarcity of accommodation options, and rising rent costs.  For Mac, it means couch-surfing, testing the patience of friends, until the discovery of an abandoned half-built resort offers a temporary reprieve. But then the real challenges begin.

I felt completely drawn into this novel. It is as scary as her previous novel The rush. There are a number of distracting red herrings, issues that could have had further exploration, but in the end it’s another tense ride for readers of mystery thrillers, with a surprising but satisfying conclusion.

Themes: Thriller, Mystery, Danger, Homelessness, Murder.

Helen Eddy