The Bluff

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

People like Dash didn't die. He was only what Mid-thirties Well off. Adored. By some anyway. World at his feet. Well, Myddle at his feet, which was his world.

Ruth Dawson has taken a break from big city law to fill in for a few months for an old mate in Myddle. How hard can it be she thinks. Turns out, very hard.

So when Ruth hears the front door of her office open, she's expecting a weird demand, or a question she doesn't know the answer to ... but it's Bea Baulderstone's mum, worried that she hasn't seen her seventeen-year-old daughter for five days, and Constable Gazza Parker is refusing to report the girl missing. Easily fixed, thinks Ruth, and heads off down Myddle's main street to charm Gazza into action.

But Victoria Baulderstone was right: Gazza doesn't care. That is until Dash Rogers is found at his farm gate, dead from a gunshot wound, and suddenly the town is very interested in Bea's whereabouts.

And it's not just Bea who can't be found. Dash's wife Evie is AWOL too.

Then Troy, Evie's protg and Bea's only friend, also smoke-bombs.

An unputdownable thriller of deception and greed, The Bluff reveals an enmeshed web of family and community loyalties, set in the lush rural hinterland of east coast Australia.

Praise for How to Kill a Client:

'Shocking and highly addictive, this is a very impressive novel from a talented new author.' Canberra Weekly

'Set in the cold atmosphere of the corporate world and the competitive homes of the rich, How to Kill a Client skewers the greed, misogyny and malfeasance in the corner offices of capitalism in a satisfying and twisting thriller.' Books + Publishing

'Jenkins delivers a brilliant debut novel which satisfies on many levels.' Country Style Magazine

'A fabulous page turner...A terrifically written novel about vengeance, dominance and politics in a major law firm.' Sydney Arts Guide

'Blending a fantastic and compelling crime fiction narrative with intense looks at the lifestyle of members of a successful law firm, How to Kill a Client was a gripping and interesting read that is really worth checking out.' The Unseen Library

'Eminently readable, How to Kill a Client is an uncomfortable depiction of Big Law (minus the murder, of course). A strong debut, and hopefully more to come.' The Justinian

Author Bio

Joanna Jenkins grew up on a small farm in country Queensland. After graduating from the University of Queensland with degrees in English Literature and Law, she practised as a solicitor, including for many years as a partner of an international law firm. It was early days for working mothers. In one law firm she worked at, she was the first person to work part time after having a baby and in another was, for a couple of years, the only female partner in the Brisbane office. She now writes full-time. Married with three sons, Joanna lives in Brisbane. Her debut novel, How to Kill a Client, was published in 2023. The Bluff is her second novel.