See How They Fall

An artfully plotted thriller that masterfully delivers unexpected twists to keep readers hooked … Paris [is] an author to watch in the world of domestic noir * BOOKS+PUBLISHING *This new writer, product of Harvard Law School with a career in fintech behind her, is a good bet to win every prize in the genre this year. The setting: Sydney. The milieu: the crushingly wealthy with waterfront mansions in the Eastern Suburbs. The characters: with few exceptions, grasping, devious, and capable of the worst crimes. A poisoner is at large. A trophy wife is dead. Her six-year-old niece is on life support with suspected brain and organ damage. The distraught mother, Skye, is prevented from seeing her daughter due to NSW laws intended to protect children but in practice aiding and abetting those who prey on them (clearly Paris is politicking here). When Skye wants answers to disturbing questions she’s up against the entire Turner family, her in-laws, who believe they’re untouchable. Skye’s friends from before her marriage, when she was on the breadline, have fallen away: “I couldn’t invite them to our preposterous home when they were struggling to pay their bills.” Sharing the narration is Detective Inspector Mei. Her unhelpful boss is guarded by his receptionist, whose “tattooed eyebrows are knitted together like a pair of plump slugs”. An ailing mother tugs Mei away just when vital clues pop up. The overarching theme is that we’re in danger of gradually succumbing to bullies. A truly splendid debut. * Country Style Magazine *

Rachel Paris won the Phoenix Prize for the best manuscript in her Masters at Auckland University. She came to writing after a highly successful 20-year law career, specialising in fintech. She gained her Masters in Law at Harvard University. See How They Fall is her debut novel.