A man, his new (and very young) wife, and two kids visit Australia from the states and impulsively pay to ride a ferry to a private island to satisfy the kids' desire to see koalas. While in a hurry to return to the ferry by their deadline, a woman crosses the road in front of them and is killed. It's all downhill for the family from there. returnreturnI'm one of those tiresome people who much prefer McKinty's earlier books, but I certainly don't begrudge him the need to earn a living, which his critically-acclaimed and excellent books weren't achieving. In his second thriller he shows he knows how to write a page-turner, with twists and turns, short sentences, short chapters, breathless action, and high stakes. Character development and plausibility are not all that important so long as the action is packed. returnreturnI wasn't entirely persuaded that Heather would be both such a poor judge of character and also so smart and resourceful. I didn't enjoy the most gruesome bits. I didn't buy that the unhappy visitors would know important information about the island that the long-term residents didn't. Also didn't like the dismissal of medications that are helpful, even essential, as if they're just a medical plot against thinking clearly. (That could have been set up in a way that would have worked, but it wasn't.) returnreturnWhat I liked: the times when extreme conditions turned into poetically expressed feelings about the self and the world, and the lightly-drawn link between present-day violence and the ways indigenous people had their land and lives stolen in the past. Some of the writing about the contrasting cultural understanding of the land was really great. And it didn't distract at all from the story's prime directive: move fast and keep it exciting. returnreturnIf what you want is a thriller, this does the job effectively enough. Especially if you're willing to suspend disbelief.