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jess_clow's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
sam_hartwig's review against another edition
DNF @ 56%
I tried to give it another go, and I just couldn't get sucked in to the story or the characters. It's unfortunate because people love it, just not for me...
I tried to give it another go, and I just couldn't get sucked in to the story or the characters. It's unfortunate because people love it, just not for me...
estelle127's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
a_libraryghost's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is my first Kyle Perry book and I’m definitely keen to see what else he has on offer. I loved the writing of this book and most of the characters, especially Mackenzie, however Shelby was a frustrating character to read. Her actions and decisions often didn’t make sense to me and while I empathised with her at points, most of the time I just found her annoying. As others have mentioned there are also a lot of characters and plots and while they do mostly end up weaving together really well there are a couple of loose threads. There are so many plot twists which can be good but at times feels like whiplash. It did keep me engaged though and I stayed up way too late reading it.
The first 2/3s were unputdownable, the last third was where my head started to spin a bit too much and it got frustrating.
The first 2/3s were unputdownable, the last third was where my head started to spin a bit too much and it got frustrating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Child death, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse and Addiction
oldladyonabike56's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Too many characters. Too many story lines. Too many unanswered questions. A good editor needed.
cathrynlucy_reads's review
5.0
Absolutely phenomenal! I adored this and was entirely hooked. Perry has done it yet again - one of my fave Aussie authors and his writing is just so atmospheric.
lmno5's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
henrymarlene's review
4.0
Modern day pirates along the Tasmanian Coast. If that isn’t a hook to read the latest book from Kyle Perry, where the secrets of a family fishing/drug business (no pun intended) come out into the open, I don’t know what is. The Black Winds are a formidable force, literally and figuratively. They have claimed life, and they also have breathed new life into lost souls who are left picking up the pieces from those who have been lost or missing. A lot has been brewing in Devil’s Kitchen, including the entrance of Forest Dempsey. We meet Mackenzie and Ahab, who both want answers about Forest and his return. We also meet the Dempsey matriarch, Ivy, and we deal with the rumours about Blackbeard, the new drug lord re-emerging in Shacktown. We are reunited with ghosts of the past in more than one form, and we delve deep into the memories of a family that is still reeling from what has happened in the past, and what is about to potentially spill over. So much to uncover, a slow reveal. The blackness of the ocean and the claustrophobic atmosphere of the caves is so overwhelming and sensual. The visual images brought to life of Mackenzie diving deep below the ocean tormented by the Black Winds feel surreal … “breathe in, breathe out” … and you are breathing with him in the deeper calmer currents where all seems at peace, but where nothing is really as it seems to be, knowing the whirlpools are out to suck anyone into their void.
Grab this and read it before the year is out. Such an amazing and talented Australian writer.
Black wind at morning, sailors take warning. Black wind at night, death is in sight.”
Grab this and read it before the year is out. Such an amazing and talented Australian writer.
Black wind at morning, sailors take warning. Black wind at night, death is in sight.”
luckies_universe's review
5.0
Great characters, great story line, amazing plot. The mystery was so well written and the twists were unexpected and exciting. I love a good family drama with a thriller mixed in. It was such an immersive book that makes you want to curl up with a cup of tea and read all day!
nina_reads_books's review
4.0
Mystery and crime novels are not my usual go to genre but there are a few Australian authors that I will now happily pick up and @kyle.perry.author is one of them. Perry’s debut novel The Bluffs was an absolute winner for me so I was thrilled to get my hands on his follow up novel The Deep.
The Deep is set in Shacktown in coastal Tasmania and focuses on the Dempsey family. The family’s abalone diving business is the front for a drug ring that has create significant wealth for those that remain in the family business. Matriarch Iris oversees it all with middle son Davey. Youngest son Mackeral is just out of jail and is barely tolerated by the rest of the family, while oldest son Jesse disappeared seven years ago along with his wife and son Forrest.
When thirteen year old Forrest walks out of the sea one day battered and not willing to say where he has been all these years, the family’s long held secrets will be revealed. Add to this a looming threat from an infamous and almost mythical drug lord Blackbeard who may or may not be moving in to take over and you have the making of a real page turner.
Now this plot was definitely complicated and a real puzzle that had me guessing at every turn. In fact it almost felt like the story was a bit over the top (drugs! pirates! murder!) but I think this ultimately added to the enjoyment I experienced.
Both of Perry’s novels portray the landscape of Tasmania so well. This time in The Deep, the ocean and beach caves are vivid and wild adding to the tension in the story. This was a gripping and atmospheric read which I inhaled in a couple of days. I’d definitely recommend The Deep if you want to lose yourself in a mystery which was what I absolutely needed last week.
The Deep is set in Shacktown in coastal Tasmania and focuses on the Dempsey family. The family’s abalone diving business is the front for a drug ring that has create significant wealth for those that remain in the family business. Matriarch Iris oversees it all with middle son Davey. Youngest son Mackeral is just out of jail and is barely tolerated by the rest of the family, while oldest son Jesse disappeared seven years ago along with his wife and son Forrest.
When thirteen year old Forrest walks out of the sea one day battered and not willing to say where he has been all these years, the family’s long held secrets will be revealed. Add to this a looming threat from an infamous and almost mythical drug lord Blackbeard who may or may not be moving in to take over and you have the making of a real page turner.
Now this plot was definitely complicated and a real puzzle that had me guessing at every turn. In fact it almost felt like the story was a bit over the top (drugs! pirates! murder!) but I think this ultimately added to the enjoyment I experienced.
Both of Perry’s novels portray the landscape of Tasmania so well. This time in The Deep, the ocean and beach caves are vivid and wild adding to the tension in the story. This was a gripping and atmospheric read which I inhaled in a couple of days. I’d definitely recommend The Deep if you want to lose yourself in a mystery which was what I absolutely needed last week.