"The Long Game" Review

 Today I'm reviewing Simon Rowell's "The Long Game"

I'll add the synopsis to the end if you'd like to learn more.

This book is an excellent option for anyone who loves a good mystery and a satisfying twist. The main character, an Australian Police Officer with a complicated past, is someone likable from the start. Her relationship with her closest partner, a Labrador that acts as her support animal, is something to fall in love with. I found this book very engaging and I managed to finish it in two days as I couldn't put it down.

I'm not terribly familiar with Australian law and police culture, but it was an interesting inside perspective on crime solving and personal dynamics between co-workers. Each character had their own unique personality and you either liked or disliked them for valid reasons. 

The crime itself was interesting. The book goes into it directly, and then expands as you read along. It was complex enough to keep you pulled in, with a couple of great plot twists that made for a satisfying ending. Some points I felt were a little unrealistic, but they weren't too extreme that it took you out of the story. The history of the main character and the reasoning for her peers to treat her differently because of it felt off, but still very enjoyable. 

I definitely recommend for anyone into crime, thriller, and murder mystery! 

Publisher Description:

A summer of relentless heat. A local surfer named Ray Carlson is found dead in a house not far from Portsea back beach. There’s a silver-handled kitchen knife deep in his chest, and blood everywhere.

Detective Sergeant Zoe Mayer is scarcely back from extended leave, and still wrestling with her demons, but she is assigned the case, alongside her new service dog, Harry, whose instincts help her in unexpected ways.

There’s an obvious suspect for the murder, and Zoe makes an arrest. But it’s all too neat, and none of Zoe’s colleagues believes her theory that the whole thing is a stitch-up.

Except now someone is trying to hunt Zoe down.

Superbly plotted, and vividly set in the beachside suburbs and hilly retreats around Melbourne, The Long Game is a mystery about a tough and clever investigator who won’t give up.