Eden – Candice Fox

(Reviewed by JD Jung)

“I’d let things slip since Martina died. Since I’d been shot and Eden had saved my life. It had locked me to her, silencing me forever on the true nature of her being, the nights she spent stalking Sydney’s killers and rapists and molesters. I’d shot and killed a serial killer, deliberately, and Eden had stood with me through the investigation that followed with her untouchable self-assurance. We were bound, Eden and I, and I hated her for it.”

In addition to suffering from an addiction to this woman,  Frank Bennett was hooked on Oxycodone after his injury. He also drank way too much. The police psychiatrist, Dr. Stone referred to him as a “train wreck”.

But Eden…she is what I would consider a sociopath, and Frank was well aware of it. No one, except maybe Hades, was important to her.

The man who raised Eden, Heinrich “Hades” Archer, was one of Australia’s most powerful gangsters in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Eden and her brother both joined the police force, but spent their evenings moonlighting for Hades. Her partner Frank would be drawn into this sordid business also.

Eden goes undercover looking for three missing young women, but that is only one element of the book that kept me enthralled. Though much of the excitement here is in the present-day—with Eden and Frank’s current assignment and the goings on with the old Hades –the book takes us back to Hade’s childhood and we learn how he got to where he is now.

Others, like Juno the young surveillance man, are mesmerized by Eden. Then again, he tends to be drawn to others he tails. This is just one example of the  unique characters in the story. In fact, they are so interesting and flawed in some way that separate stories could be written about each of them. Gangsters, dirty cops, lowlifes and even a cannibal frequent these pages.

My warning to you is that this dark and gritty novel is not for the faint of heart. I also warn you that you agree to participate, you won’t be able to put this book down.

Eden, the second and most recent book in the series is what I crave in a suspense thriller. I want to grab the first in the series, Hades, as soon as possible. Hopefully it will answer questions I have about some of the backstory. However, you don’t need to read Hades to enjoy Eden . I just hope that Hades is as exciting and well written as Eden.