Title: White Throat by Sarah Thornton
Clementine Jones Series Book Two
Publisher: Text Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
Looking out over an ebb tide from the back verandah was like watching God paint stripes…
Disgraced former lawyer Clementine Jones is on the shores of paradise—Queensland’s Great Sandy Straits—trying to outrun her past.
Bored with her house-sitting gig, she becomes a reluctant recruit to the local environmental group, campaigning to save an endangered turtle as developers close in. Then a body is found at the base of a quarry, and Clem’s world is turned upside down.
The police say suicide. Clem’s convinced it was murder. She also knows she’s the only one interested in tracking down the killer.
Well, the only one apart from her friend Torrens, ex-con and reformed standover man. And he’s got his own fight on his hands.
Review:
The second novel in the Clementine Jones series, White Throat by Sarah Thornton is a spellbinding mystery.
Clementine “Clem” Jones is house-sitting while she tries to decide her future. With a lot of free time on her hands, she helps out a friend who is trying to protect an endangered turtle. A big corporation’s plans to open the mine will add jobs to the economy but the it will also destroy the turtle’s habitat. Clem does not want to be in the spotlight but after a tragic death, she knows she has to unearth the truth about what happened.
Clem is well aware her past will always find its way into her present so maybe the anonymity of a large city is where she needs to be. An unexpected job offer is weighing on her mind as she becomes embroiled in the investigation in a death that police have been quick to rule suicide. Clem needs to eliminate people from a large pool of suspects, so she devises a plan that will hopefully disguise her true motive for asking questions.
Clem’s friend Matthew Torrens needs an out of the way place to lie low for a while. While he stays with her, she wrestles with her conscience on quite a few fronts where Torrens is concerned. She does not want to involve him too deeply in her investigation but he possesses expertise she needs. Feeling more and more guilty over a secret she is keeping, their friendship and Torrens’ future hangs in the balance as she comes closer to making a major decision.
Clem’s list of suspect is varied so she is flying by the seat of her pants more than she would like. She makes a few missteps with some of the people she questions, but she slowly but steadily makes progress. Unbeknownst to Clem, the murderer will go to any lengths to prevent her from uncovering their identity. Will Clem bring them to justice before it is too late?
White Throat is riveting mystery with a clever storyline and likable lead protagonist. Clem and Torrens are flawed and they remain works in progress. The plot is interesting and well-developed. The investigation is intriguing with plenty of action. With a plethora of viable suspects and motives, Sarah Thornton keeps the murderer’s identity tightly under wraps until the mystery’s action-packed conclusion. Old and new fans will enjoy this newest addition to the Clementine Jones series.
