We meet the murderer, who turns out to be a serial killer, right at the start, in the Prologue, but we don't know who he is.

Two cases present themselves for the attention of the MPU almost simultaneously. Rosemary Norton is reported missing by her brother because she fails to turn up for her disabled brother's birthday party. The second case, that of Natale Gibson, mother of two, who fails to collect her two young children from day care, looks more serious.

The MPU is under pressure to perform. It seems likely that the future state budget will bring with it a cut to their funding, and the absorption of the MPU into other police departments.

In the background Emmett Corban's wife Cindy is excited to be taking up a new job, but, while Emmett is glad for her, he realises it will bring changes to the dynamics of their home life.

The plot is many stranded, with a load of red herrings to distract the reader. The way the strands are connected up is very clever. There are a range of well-developed characters too. Good reading. ( )

Journalist Katherine Firkin has written her debut crime novel, inspired, according to the blurb, by the many criminal trials she has covered. You can't help but spare a thought for the sorts of things trial attendees have to sit through when finishing STICKS AND STONES.

It's difficult not to assume that this is intended as the beginning of a series, particularly as there's quite a hefty dose of personal and back story here, and for quite a while, readers might be a bit confused about who the central character is intended to be: recently promoted Head of the Missing Persons Unit, DSC Emmett Corban or his wife who is struggling to return to work after experiencing severe post natal depression.

Overall, there's a lot of characters being introduced, and some complicated scenarios playing out in the early stages of this novel and readers may find keeping track of who is who, or working out the parts they will all play a bit overwhelming. Alongside the personal trials of Corban, his wife, their child, her job, her Svengali-like mentor and their relationship, there are a series of rapidly introduced police colleagues and some backstory to Corban's career. Then there's the disappearance of a young woman who didn't turn up to her invalid brother's birthday party, a young mother and wife who dropped her kids at vacation activities and vanished. The first has an overtly anxious brother looking for her, the second an angry and overbearing husband so there are suspects galore and not a lot of leads even when a body shows up.

At this point the head of Missing Persons becomes a homicide investigator and frequent followers of crime fiction may find themselves pausing to consider how that bit of procedural overrule gets ushered through, but stay with it.

It's a testament to the power of the storytelling here that a plot that rapidly becomes a bit unwieldy and felt over populated with people, suspects, sidelines and byways, still mostly engages the reader. There's some hefty work going on to introduce a character and his backstory, and as this novel involves a serial killer with his own past, there was some work involved in getting a glimpse into his mindset. The only way, these days, that a peek inside the serial killer's viewpoint can contribute positively, is if it provides insight, or illumination. Just doing it for menace sake doesn't really cut it anymore, and with that in mind, this viewpoint did provide some explanation of the way that this damaged mind worked.

Having said all of that, STICKS AND STONES is a debut, and it's telegraphing much in the way of potential, especially from the viewpoint of Missing Person's, and that does suggest the happy prospect of Corban and his colleagues returning to the field.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/sticks-and-stones-katherine-firkin ( )

Sticks and Stones is a debut crime novel from Melbourne journalist Katherine Firkin, inspired by the many criminal trials she has covered.

Recently promoted to the head of the Missing Persons Unit, Detective Senior Constable Emmet Corban is finding the job frustrating. The hours are long, the paperwork is a grind, and more often than not, the missing simply don’t want to be found.

Corban’s most recent cases involve a single woman who didn’t to turn up for her invalid brother’s birthday party, and a young wife and mother who failed to collect her two children from vacation care. Corban is fairly certain the former, Rosemary Norman, simply ditched the event for another adventure, but he is concerned for Natale Gibson, whose parents are frantic, and whose husband is angry.

When the mutilated body of a female is found and identified as one of the missing women, Corban finds himself unexpectedly leading a homicide investigation into the activities of a serial killer. Firkin develops plenty of red herrings as Corban and his unit attempt to trace the movements of the missing women to determine how they crossed paths with their killer. The plot is interesting and complex but to me also felt a little unwieldy, unfolding from multiple perspectives and involving a large cast of characters.

To be honest I had a difficult time keeping the many characters straight initially, especially as the links between some of them aren’t immediately obvious, and the transitions between scenes are quite rapid. The case itself introduces Corban and his staff, as well as suspects, victims and their families. Another thread explores Corban’s personal life, featuring his wife and her slightly inappropriate relationship with her Svengali-like employer, while a third person narrative reveals the past of the killer.

I did enjoy Sticks and Stones, it’s a promising debut, and I can see the potential for an ongoing series featuring Emmett Corban and the Missing Person Unit. ( )