How long can you hide the truth?

The Kelly family has always been trouble.

When a fire in a remote caravan community kills nine people, including 17-year- old Sabine Kelly’s mother and sister, Sabine confesses to the murders. Shortly after, she escapes custody and disappears.

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Recently made redundant from marriage, motherhood and her career, journalist Rachel Weidermann has long suspected Sabine made her way back to the river — now, twelve years after the ‘Caravan Murders’, she has the time and the tenacity to corner a fugitive and land the story of the year.

Rachel’s ambition lights the fuse leading to a brutal chain of events, and the web Sabine weaves will force Rachel to question everything she believes. Vikki Wakefield’s compelling psychological thriller is about class, corruption, love, loyalty, and the vindication of truth and justice. And a brave dog called Blue.

My Review

At last something very different from my usual feast of crime novels and psychological thrillers, with two unusual women at its heart. Then there’s Blue, the fiercely loyal and brave dog that is Sabine Kelly’s constant companion. And Sabine needs protection – she’s been on the run for twelve years, living on a houseboat on the river.

The first thing I must say about this book is that you will need to decide very early on whether you believe in Sabine. Because if you don’t and you think she was capable as a 17-year-old to murder her mum Dee and seven-year-old sister Aria by setting their caravan on fire, then you will struggle to engage. Sabine has never told anyone what really happened that night, but after so many years in hiding, she is ready to reveal the truth.

Sabine regularly visits her grandfather Ray Kelly or Pop as she calls him. He’s not actually a very nice man, but he is one of her only allies. Next door to Pop lives 49-year-old Rachel Weirdermann, a freelance journalist (only freelance because she lost her job), divorced from Aidan after he ran off with a younger woman, and mother of two grown-up children. She lives alone (apart from snooty, standoffish cat Mo) in a massive house by the river. Goodness knows why she chose to live so close to the river as she is scared of water and hates swimming.

Rachel is obsessed with what became known as the Caravan Murders and she knows that an exclusive with Sabine would relaunch her dying career. But can she trust Sabine, who after the initial shock of being ‘found’ by Rachel, seems eager to tell her story. She knows Sabine is holding something back. Is she lying or is she afraid of the consequences if the truth comes out?

To The River is a fascinating look into life in rural Australia, an exploration of friendship, family, trust, obsession and corruption, and a story that will resonate with anyone who has been wronged in the past. It’s brilliant.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

Vikki Wakefield writes fiction for adults and young adults. Her novels have been shortlisted for numerous awards. After You Were Gone, a psychological thriller, was her first novel for adults, and was published in 2022, to much acclaim. To The River is her second psychological thriller for adults. Vikki lives in Adelaide, South Australia.