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kbranfield's review
4.0
4.5 stars.
The Attack by Catherine Jinks is a suspenseful, engrossing mystery.
In 2009, Robyn Ayers is an experienced teacher starting over in new town after a heartbreaking betrayal. She is a kindergarten teacher whose school year starts off with a bang. A couple of her students are a bit of handful but six-year-old Aaron Rooney is troubled with a difficult home-life. Robyn does her best to adhere to school policies and maintain a professional distance but that soon becomes impossible. Aaron is destructive and wildly out of control which she believes is the result of possible abusive. Aaron’s grandmother, Joyce, is caustic, disruptive and prone to making unfounded accusations. Aaron’s mum, Krystal McCall obviously loves her son, but Robyn has trouble keeping her on topic during school meetings. The situation reaches a shocking crescendo that leaves Robyn picking up the tattered pieces of her life once again.
In 2019, Robyn is lives alone on isolated Finch Island where she takes care of the historic site that was at one time a leper colony. She spends most of her days in solitude ensuring the visitors abide by the rules. The island is also used by a group of former military men who run a boot camp for troubled and at-risk boys. This latest group’s behavior is quite challenging right from the very start. Adding to Robyn’s uneasiness is her certainty that teenager Darren King is, in fact, Aaron Rooney. When it appears someone is targeting her, Robyn at first believes Darren/Aaron is responsible. But the quiet teenager’s behavior is quite different than when he was younger and he is asking worrying questions about Krystal. Robyn does not want to probe too deeply and she has enough to worry about with the other antics that are occurring. With the boys’ “graduation” fast approaching, will Robyn finally learn the truth about what happened to Aaron ten years earlier?
The Attack is a tense mystery that seamlessly moves back and forth in time. In 2009, Robyn is a bit idealistic and ill-prepared for teaching in a small town. She quickly discovers the worst part of small-town life occurs when power falls into malevolent hands. Robyn is out of her depth right from the start and when the situation spirals out of control, she learns the hard way the town protects its own. In the 2019, Robyn is suspicious, gruff and outspoken as the boot camp gets off to a rough start. Both iterations of Robyn are likable since it is easy to understand how life has shaped her and her reactions. The well-developed storyline steadily moves toward past and present colliding as Robyn finds herself in increasing danger. With stunning plot twists, Catherine Jinks brings this brilliant novel to a breathless, edge of the seat conclusion.
The Attack by Catherine Jinks is a suspenseful, engrossing mystery.
In 2009, Robyn Ayers is an experienced teacher starting over in new town after a heartbreaking betrayal. She is a kindergarten teacher whose school year starts off with a bang. A couple of her students are a bit of handful but six-year-old Aaron Rooney is troubled with a difficult home-life. Robyn does her best to adhere to school policies and maintain a professional distance but that soon becomes impossible. Aaron is destructive and wildly out of control which she believes is the result of possible abusive. Aaron’s grandmother, Joyce, is caustic, disruptive and prone to making unfounded accusations. Aaron’s mum, Krystal McCall obviously loves her son, but Robyn has trouble keeping her on topic during school meetings. The situation reaches a shocking crescendo that leaves Robyn picking up the tattered pieces of her life once again.
In 2019, Robyn is lives alone on isolated Finch Island where she takes care of the historic site that was at one time a leper colony. She spends most of her days in solitude ensuring the visitors abide by the rules. The island is also used by a group of former military men who run a boot camp for troubled and at-risk boys. This latest group’s behavior is quite challenging right from the very start. Adding to Robyn’s uneasiness is her certainty that teenager Darren King is, in fact, Aaron Rooney. When it appears someone is targeting her, Robyn at first believes Darren/Aaron is responsible. But the quiet teenager’s behavior is quite different than when he was younger and he is asking worrying questions about Krystal. Robyn does not want to probe too deeply and she has enough to worry about with the other antics that are occurring. With the boys’ “graduation” fast approaching, will Robyn finally learn the truth about what happened to Aaron ten years earlier?
The Attack is a tense mystery that seamlessly moves back and forth in time. In 2009, Robyn is a bit idealistic and ill-prepared for teaching in a small town. She quickly discovers the worst part of small-town life occurs when power falls into malevolent hands. Robyn is out of her depth right from the start and when the situation spirals out of control, she learns the hard way the town protects its own. In the 2019, Robyn is suspicious, gruff and outspoken as the boot camp gets off to a rough start. Both iterations of Robyn are likable since it is easy to understand how life has shaped her and her reactions. The well-developed storyline steadily moves toward past and present colliding as Robyn finds herself in increasing danger. With stunning plot twists, Catherine Jinks brings this brilliant novel to a breathless, edge of the seat conclusion.
textpublishing's review
The following reviews have been shared by Text Publishing - publisher of The Attack
‘A slow-burner that canvasses familial conflict and builds to a violent crescendo...[Will] appeal to new and recent converts to Jinks’ brand of dark revelation’
ArtsHub
‘A nail-biter.’
SA Weekend
‘A consistently tense ride for any reader...The Attack once again demonstrates Jinks's capacity to build that tension around characters who can be both vulnerable and resilient in situations which are not far from reader’s lived experience.’
Pile by the Bed
‘A tense thriller…[with a] brutal and terrifying climax…Jinks can certainly tell a good story.’
Canberra Times
'A tense, intimate island thriller.’
Readings
‘Catherine Jinks cements herself as a must-read Aussie crime writer with this book. It’s atmospheric and hard-hitting; if you’re a fan of Australian crime thrillers, don’t miss this.’
Cheryl Akle, Australian
'You will want to read it all in one gulp.’
Good Reading
'Robyn is a great character, resilient and strong...I highly recommend this for a good, suspenseful read (but maybe don’t take it camping with you…)’
Sisters in Crime
‘A slow-burner that canvasses familial conflict and builds to a violent crescendo...[Will] appeal to new and recent converts to Jinks’ brand of dark revelation’
ArtsHub
‘A nail-biter.’
SA Weekend
‘A consistently tense ride for any reader...The Attack once again demonstrates Jinks's capacity to build that tension around characters who can be both vulnerable and resilient in situations which are not far from reader’s lived experience.’
Pile by the Bed
‘A tense thriller…[with a] brutal and terrifying climax…Jinks can certainly tell a good story.’
Canberra Times
'A tense, intimate island thriller.’
Readings
‘Catherine Jinks cements herself as a must-read Aussie crime writer with this book. It’s atmospheric and hard-hitting; if you’re a fan of Australian crime thrillers, don’t miss this.’
Cheryl Akle, Australian
'You will want to read it all in one gulp.’
Good Reading
'Robyn is a great character, resilient and strong...I highly recommend this for a good, suspenseful read (but maybe don’t take it camping with you…)’
Sisters in Crime
melbsreads's review
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Trigger warnings: physical violence, gun violence, domestic violence, police corruption, child abuse, bullying, blood, misogyny, intimidation, mentions of alcohol/drug abuse, lesbophobia, mentions of suicide, death of a parent, murder
I was really excited to read this for two reasons:
1. I ADORED Catherine Jinks' Pagan series as a teenager; and
2. I LOVED her first adult thriller a couple of years ago and was really intrigued to see if she could write a second one that was just as compelling and gripping.
And yes, yes she could.
I was absolutely hooked from the second I picked this up, and I devoured it cover to cover in two sittings.
The jumps between past and present, revealing Robyn's history and present with Aaron, were extremely effective. There's a special kind of sinister reading this as someone who works at a school, and while it didn't quiiiiiiite stick the landing, I did absolutely fly through this because I *had* to know how the story was going to play out.
I was really excited to read this for two reasons:
1. I ADORED Catherine Jinks' Pagan series as a teenager; and
2. I LOVED her first adult thriller a couple of years ago and was really intrigued to see if she could write a second one that was just as compelling and gripping.
And yes, yes she could.
I was absolutely hooked from the second I picked this up, and I devoured it cover to cover in two sittings.
The jumps between past and present, revealing Robyn's history and present with Aaron, were extremely effective. There's a special kind of sinister reading this as someone who works at a school, and while it didn't quiiiiiiite stick the landing, I did absolutely fly through this because I *had* to know how the story was going to play out.
mandylovestoread's review
4.0
The Attack was an intense Aussie thriller with a unique setting. It is another tough book to read in places but sadly I am sure that there are children out there who are living their young lives cuaght up in these situations.
Set on Finch Island, off the coast of Queensland, a former leper camp, Robyn now lives and works as the caretaker and hosts different groups for camps. The Attack is about a bootcamp for troubled teens. These boys have all gotten themselves into some kind of trouble with the law and this is their chance to redeem themselves. Robyn moved there to escape events of 10 years ago, but those memories come flooding back when she recognises one of the boys from her past.
We learn about her time as a Kindergarten teacher 10 years ago and the trouble student Aaron and his family. Arron is caught up in the middle of a nasty custody dispute, with family that are not really looking out for his welfare. He is unruly and out of control and scared. I felt sorry for him, he was 6 years old and being pushed and pulled in so many different ways.
Thanks to Text Publishing for sending me a copy of this book, I will definately look out for more books by this author.
Set on Finch Island, off the coast of Queensland, a former leper camp, Robyn now lives and works as the caretaker and hosts different groups for camps. The Attack is about a bootcamp for troubled teens. These boys have all gotten themselves into some kind of trouble with the law and this is their chance to redeem themselves. Robyn moved there to escape events of 10 years ago, but those memories come flooding back when she recognises one of the boys from her past.
We learn about her time as a Kindergarten teacher 10 years ago and the trouble student Aaron and his family. Arron is caught up in the middle of a nasty custody dispute, with family that are not really looking out for his welfare. He is unruly and out of control and scared. I felt sorry for him, he was 6 years old and being pushed and pulled in so many different ways.
Thanks to Text Publishing for sending me a copy of this book, I will definately look out for more books by this author.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review
4.0
‘I recognised him at once.’
It is 2019 and Robyn Ayres is the caretaker of Finch Island, a national park in Queensland’s Morton Bay. Finch Island was once used as a leprosy quarantine station and now is used for camping and holidaymakers. Robyn looks after maintenance of the buildings and provides catering for the groups that book the site. It is usually a quiet and isolated life, but Robyn does not mind. But Robyn’s relative tranquillity is about to be shattered.
The current group on the island is a week-long bootcamp run for young offenders and boys at risk. The group is run by a group of ex-army veterans: they have been here before. But the group they have this time is particularly challenging. While most of their pranks are annoying, some are dangerous. And Robyn is sure that she recognises one of the boys: he is called Darren now, but she knew him as Aaron.
In 2009, Robyn was a primary school teacher. Aaron was one of the boys in her class and he was at the centre of a custody battle between his parents. The odds were stacked against Aaron’s mother: his paternal grandmother was a particularly manipulative and nasty piece of work who nobody was prepared to cross. And Aaron, caught in the middle was disruptive and violent in school.
Yes, 2009 did not end well for Aaron or for Robyn. But why has his name been changed and why is he on Finch Island in 2019?
The story shifts between 2009 and 2019 and the tension builds. Robyn may have questions about the past, but in 2019 she and others are at risk. Her past, and Aaron’s, both become part of a dangerous present.
How will it end? You will need to read it to find out. I enjoyed this novel and found the ending satisfying.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
It is 2019 and Robyn Ayres is the caretaker of Finch Island, a national park in Queensland’s Morton Bay. Finch Island was once used as a leprosy quarantine station and now is used for camping and holidaymakers. Robyn looks after maintenance of the buildings and provides catering for the groups that book the site. It is usually a quiet and isolated life, but Robyn does not mind. But Robyn’s relative tranquillity is about to be shattered.
The current group on the island is a week-long bootcamp run for young offenders and boys at risk. The group is run by a group of ex-army veterans: they have been here before. But the group they have this time is particularly challenging. While most of their pranks are annoying, some are dangerous. And Robyn is sure that she recognises one of the boys: he is called Darren now, but she knew him as Aaron.
In 2009, Robyn was a primary school teacher. Aaron was one of the boys in her class and he was at the centre of a custody battle between his parents. The odds were stacked against Aaron’s mother: his paternal grandmother was a particularly manipulative and nasty piece of work who nobody was prepared to cross. And Aaron, caught in the middle was disruptive and violent in school.
Yes, 2009 did not end well for Aaron or for Robyn. But why has his name been changed and why is he on Finch Island in 2019?
The story shifts between 2009 and 2019 and the tension builds. Robyn may have questions about the past, but in 2019 she and others are at risk. Her past, and Aaron’s, both become part of a dangerous present.
How will it end? You will need to read it to find out. I enjoyed this novel and found the ending satisfying.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
shelleyrae's review
4.0
“I took one look at him and it all came flooding back. Otford. Joyce. The lies. The police. I’d fled to a deserted island, but I couldn’t seem to escape Aaron Rooney.”
Robyn Ayres is the caretaker of Finch Island /Buangan Pa, a former leper lazaret, repurposed for the use of campers and organised groups. The basic facilities and lack of phone/wifi service dull the island’s appeal to holidaymakers, but Vetnet, a boot camp for troubled teen boys run by ex military officers, are one of the island’s few regular bookings. When Shaun and his staff arrive with the latest group of delinquent recruits, Robyn is shocked to realise she recognises one of the boys. He is ten years older than the last time she saw him, and using a different name, but she is sure it is Aaron Rooney, who indirectly led to her self-imposed exile on the island. The knowledge leaves Robyn on edge and her anxiety worsens as she is targeted by a series of malicious pranks.
The story of The Attack unfolds over over two timelines, Robyn’s past as a kindergarten teacher in a small town caught between two warring families locked in a custody battle, shows why the sudden appearance of a now sixteen year old Aaron is so destabilising.
There is tension as Robyn wonders if Darren/Aaron remembers her, which builds with a series of worrying incidents, among them rubbish dumped on her bed, deliberately broken plumbing, and a kitchen fire. Robyn considers Aaron the most likely suspect, but there are fourteen other troubled teens on the island who might think that harassing Robyn would force the VetNet operators to send them home.
Though the pace for much of the book is quite restrained, there is a definite sense of anticipation that develops in both timelines. Everything comes to a head in the last quarter of the novel where Jinks provides a thrilling, action-packed climax as Robyn is forced to confront the past.
I really enjoyed The Attack for its original premise, interesting setting (inspired by Queensland’s Peel Island) and characterisation. This is a well written, absorbing and satisfying thriller.
Robyn Ayres is the caretaker of Finch Island /Buangan Pa, a former leper lazaret, repurposed for the use of campers and organised groups. The basic facilities and lack of phone/wifi service dull the island’s appeal to holidaymakers, but Vetnet, a boot camp for troubled teen boys run by ex military officers, are one of the island’s few regular bookings. When Shaun and his staff arrive with the latest group of delinquent recruits, Robyn is shocked to realise she recognises one of the boys. He is ten years older than the last time she saw him, and using a different name, but she is sure it is Aaron Rooney, who indirectly led to her self-imposed exile on the island. The knowledge leaves Robyn on edge and her anxiety worsens as she is targeted by a series of malicious pranks.
The story of The Attack unfolds over over two timelines, Robyn’s past as a kindergarten teacher in a small town caught between two warring families locked in a custody battle, shows why the sudden appearance of a now sixteen year old Aaron is so destabilising.
There is tension as Robyn wonders if Darren/Aaron remembers her, which builds with a series of worrying incidents, among them rubbish dumped on her bed, deliberately broken plumbing, and a kitchen fire. Robyn considers Aaron the most likely suspect, but there are fourteen other troubled teens on the island who might think that harassing Robyn would force the VetNet operators to send them home.
Though the pace for much of the book is quite restrained, there is a definite sense of anticipation that develops in both timelines. Everything comes to a head in the last quarter of the novel where Jinks provides a thrilling, action-packed climax as Robyn is forced to confront the past.
I really enjoyed The Attack for its original premise, interesting setting (inspired by Queensland’s Peel Island) and characterisation. This is a well written, absorbing and satisfying thriller.
jen567's review
4.0
Second book by this Aussie author and both books so different but Jinks is certainly a great storyteller- thoroughly enjoyed
aplace_inthesun's review
mysterious
slow-paced
3.0
I was drawn to this book about a group of teen misfits who we’re sent to a small island in Australia for a week with retired war veterans (like a boot camp). The caretaker of the camp is an ex-teacher who is limited in her opportunities due to scandal from when she was a teacher. As luck would have it one of her former students shows up as one of the teens but he’s using a different name.
The Attack details the sad history of trauma and abuse of one of the boys, and his dysfunctional relatives. One of the strongest and rich characters is the boy’s grandmother who I challenge any reader to like - truly one of the most vindictive and spiteful characters I can think of, largely because she is so real. The narrator (Robyn, the Ex-teacher) is less appealing and a little ‘beige’ IMO - her isolation is apparent and you sense there is more to her, but she is a bit two-dimensional. The plot is sound but the events don’t quite reach the heights of what I am accustomed to in thrillers. We don’t really know the boys well, and I found that they had it all over the vets (kept escaping, slipped the vets notice) which just wasn’t believable.
An Aussie thriller which was a plus, but not a memorable one.
The Attack details the sad history of trauma and abuse of one of the boys, and his dysfunctional relatives. One of the strongest and rich characters is the boy’s grandmother who I challenge any reader to like - truly one of the most vindictive and spiteful characters I can think of, largely because she is so real. The narrator (Robyn, the Ex-teacher) is less appealing and a little ‘beige’ IMO - her isolation is apparent and you sense there is more to her, but she is a bit two-dimensional. The plot is sound but the events don’t quite reach the heights of what I am accustomed to in thrillers. We don’t really know the boys well, and I found that they had it all over the vets (kept escaping, slipped the vets notice) which just wasn’t believable.
An Aussie thriller which was a plus, but not a memorable one.
chryssie's review
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
This was a unique and thrilling read that I really enjoyed and smashed through in just two days. I highly recommend it 😊
I found parts of the story quite sad. Especially Aaron’s story, an out of control child who my heart went out to because of the circumstances he was in. This is a book about domestic abuse and a bitter custody battle where unfortunately the child is used as a pawn between the two families. His grandmother and father are selfish, abusive people who I detested greatly.
As the story unfolds between two timelines, which are ten years apart, I became completely absorbed with Robyn and her involvement with the two families and found the book unputdownable. It was hard to know who I should believe and the whole time, my heart broke for the little boy. I also found the main character Robyn likeable and her living arrangements fascinating. Living on a secluded island. How very cool is that?! What a place to heal after the ordeal she went through ten years prior. The other characters visiting the island were also wonderfully developed and I really respected them also. This book is really well done!
Overall, this is a fab thriller that is unsettling and intriguing. I enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down. Thank you Text Publishing for a copy of this entertaining read 😊
I found parts of the story quite sad. Especially Aaron’s story, an out of control child who my heart went out to because of the circumstances he was in. This is a book about domestic abuse and a bitter custody battle where unfortunately the child is used as a pawn between the two families. His grandmother and father are selfish, abusive people who I detested greatly.
As the story unfolds between two timelines, which are ten years apart, I became completely absorbed with Robyn and her involvement with the two families and found the book unputdownable. It was hard to know who I should believe and the whole time, my heart broke for the little boy. I also found the main character Robyn likeable and her living arrangements fascinating. Living on a secluded island. How very cool is that?! What a place to heal after the ordeal she went through ten years prior. The other characters visiting the island were also wonderfully developed and I really respected them also. This book is really well done!
Overall, this is a fab thriller that is unsettling and intriguing. I enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down. Thank you Text Publishing for a copy of this entertaining read 😊
kaz14's review
2.0
The telling of this tale through two time periods in alternating chapters worked well. There was a lot to like about this novel which picked up pace in the latter third but I was also frustrated at the naivety, almost stupidity of the main character at times. When she finally found some nous I became more engaged.
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