Gone by Midnight: A Crimson Lake Novel

I love the Crimson Lake series, and its two intriguing private investigators. I had to restrain myself from hugging the delivery man as I was so excited when he brought the book to my door. What better way to be shut in the house during a winter snowstorm, than to be vicariously transported to Crimson Lake, North Queensland, with its sweltering heat, mangrove swamps, rainforests and crocodile-infested rivers and lakes. There is a blizzard outside, but I have just spent an enjoyable and thrilling day revisiting Ted Conkaffey and Amanda Pharrell, two intriguing characters, as they carry out their latest crime investigation. Ted was once a respected policeman once employed in the Sydney drug squad. He was arrested and falsely charged with the abduction and rape of a young girl and later released due to insufficient evidence. His reputation shattered, his fellow police officers and his wife turned against him. He lost his home, his job, and access to his infant daughter. Due to media attention, many people still regard him as a pedophile. He located to Crimson Lake with the futile hope that he would not be recognized. He now works as a private detective alongside Amanda Pharrell. Amanda is a quirky, petit, trash-talking, rhyme-spouting woman who is heavily tattooed and her body art defaced by scars from a crocodile attack. Her bizarre behaviour and inappropriate conversation cause townspeople and police to regard her as a ‘weirdo’. It is well known that she spent 10 years in prison for killing a classmate. As a fictional character, I love her. She hired Ted Conkaffey as the only person in Crimson Lake more hated than herself. Cases come their way from people who don’t trust the local police to carry out a decent crime investigation. The story begins with Ted having a very bad day. One of his seven beloved pet geese is near death and is rushed to a vet. Two young policemen have come on his property, handcuffed him and led him away, while his 3-year-old daughter is soon arriving to visit him at his home for the first time. An eight-year-old boy, Richie Farrow, has gone missing, from a locked 5th-floor hotel room where he was with three other boys while their parents had dinner. One of the parents' checks on them every hour. On the second night of this arrangement, when a parent checks at midnight, Richie is missing. The boys deny they noticed him missing and that they all stayed in the room. Cameras confirm that none of them exited the building. The hotel has been thoroughly searched with no trace of Richie. The police chief informs Ted that the missing boy’s mother has asked for his help in the search, but under no circumstances is he to include his partner, Amanda, in the investigation. Of course, there is no stopping Amanda. Ted now has less time to spend with his daughter who has just arrived. Amanda is in danger from a deluded member of the police force and would like to make her suffer, to be gone, or dead. This is just the beginning of a gripping, exciting plot which is suspenseful and full of danger, but with touches of humour. Interactions between the germ-fearing Amanda and Ted’s infant daughter are hilarious.The character development is superb. Will Richie be found either alive or dead? As time passes several suspects are under surveillance and the search now shifts to finding the body. The final chapters contain frightening scenes of violence and some surprises. I hope Candice Fox will continue this enthralling series.

First Sentence: The real trouble came at midnight.Four families, each with one son, are having dinner at the White Caps Hotel, checking about every hour on the four boys left in a hotel room upstairs. At the midnight check, Sara Farrow finds her eight-year-old son, Richard, is missing in spite of the other three boys swearing no one left the room. Police Chief Damien Clark is not pleased when the mother, Sara, insists on hiring PI Ted Conkaffey and his unusual partner, Amanda Pharrell. The investigation is complicated by Teds being granted a week-long visitation of his almost-two-year-old daughter for the first time since Ted was cleared of being a pedophile, and a policewoman who obsessively blames Amanda for the death of her partner.What a well-done, dramatic opening. More than that is the fact that it actively involves the reader and then segues perfectly into the next chapter.Fox knows how to convey emotion. One feels the fear which transitions to worry. We understand the attachment as we learn of the protagonist's history and his name. Amanda knows how to make an entrance and, once she does, she's one of the most memorable characters one will find. For those who love quirky characters, one can't do much better than Amanda—"The next man who tells me what to do around here is going to get his nads kicked so hard he's going to taste them at the back of his throat." She is not a woman to cross, but she attracts other interesting characters to her, such as a biker gang.There is interesting information about judging the behavior of the missing boy's mother. The interview between the father, Ted, and Amanda is so well done. Fox writes in visual terms. One can easily see why a television series is going to be made from these books. Fox builds sympathy for a character and then shatters it while switching to something completely ordinary. That's clever writing.It is surprising that Ted, being a former cop, isn't better at reading people, but that's balanced by Amanda. The feud between Amanda and Joanna Fisher escalates in dangerous turns--"…perhaps she shouldn't have fired on Fisher through her door. That wasn't good. … But she hadn't hit Joanna, so Amanda decided to ignore that little slip-up." and added character of Superfish is wonderful. The advantage of the two protagonists is being able to split them up, doubling the excitement and tension as things progress.As to the plot, some of it is a bit predictable from obvious tells along the way. There is no question that Fox's books focus more on character than on plot, but that's actually just fine."Gone by Midnight" is a terrific read with wonderful characters and a great ending. Fox really does need to write them faster.GONE BY MIDNIGHT (PI-Ted Conkaffey/Amanda Pharrell-North Queensland, Australia-Contemp) – VG+ Fox, Candice – 3rd in series Century – January, 2019

I absolutely loved all three books. I read & liked the Hades series a lot. This series rocketed Candice Fox into my top 10, maybe top 5 authors. I loved the story & the characters. I want more!I read all three in a row while on vacation & usually I will space out a series to enjoy it. With these, I wanted to know what happened next. No plot points for me, just read them & enjoy.

Third of the Crimson Lake books kept me reading, forget the dishes or laundry ..... Great plot! Hoping more about Ted and Amanda are coming soon !! Please Candice Fox!

"I've caught some disgusting disease from your human spawn...Didn't i tell you i was going to catch some lurgy from that gross little pukebag?" -Amanda yelling at TedAn 8 year old boy goes missing from a hotel room. His mother hires Ted and Amanda to help with the search.I enjoyed my time with Ted and the eccentric Amanda. Without them this book would be just ok. The story was at times unbelievable. The red herrings were unnecessary. To many side stories and the conflict with Amanda and Joanna felt forced.Read book one and two, both five star reads, to better understand Ted and Amanda. I look forward to sitting down with Amanda and Ted and having a slice of raspberry cake with chocolate shavings in the near future.

I have been a fan since the first book. The plot and characters were well written. The fact that it was in a different country was a delightful bonus. The characters are refreshing and the plots engaging.

This series is so good I’m tempted to start it all over. Cadince Fox is even better in this series than when she’s partnered with James Patterson.

Just finished this book, which is currently the last in the Crimson Lake Series, and I hope there will be more. The interaction between the 2 main characters, Ted & Amanda, is brilliant. I love her kookiness (don't call her crazy!!) and I love how Ted deals with her. The books are well written and they draw you in. Loved this book, loved the series, hope for more!

There was a lot I liked about this book and yet I feel it did not reach a five star rating for me. I loved the character Amanda, bizarre though she is, and there were things to like about Ted Conkaffey but I found the situation between him and the police a little unconvincing, particularly the officer called Joanna. I felt that the children, when interviewed, came over as odd. However, there were enough twists and turns in the story to keep me going until the end, hence the four star rating

I have read all three of the Crimson Lake series and enjoyed them all, hoping there will be a book 4 coming soon.

The characters are so well written it feels as though I am watching a drama play out. Descriptive scenes add depth to the story that has twist and I found myself eager to keep reading at any given opportunity.Defiantly a recommended read.

Following the development of the characters and their relationships, just makes you want to read more. Just as interesting and a good sense of place. Keep them coming.