* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin *
Detective Sergeant Kiara Lui is back in Kill Your Boss by Jack Heath. We last saw Kiara in Kill Your Husbands, the second in the series that began with Kill Your Brother back in 2022. Kiara is working in the small town of Warrigal in New South Wales (not Warrigul, Victoria) when a body falls from the roof of the public library onto a bike rack directly in front of her.
Neville was Head of Library Services and was disliked by almost every person who was unlucky enough to know him or had the displeasure of working with him. Kiara has multiple suspects and we're given multiple character perspectives in this whodunnit including Neville, Kiara, Kiara's colleague Ben and several staff members at the library.
The Australian location is relatable and Jack Heath's sense of humour always makes me laugh:
'You ever heard that funny German word - the one that means "a face in need of a slap"?' 'Backpfeifengesicht,' Ben puts in. 'That's the one!' Steven says, delighted. 'I could never pronounce it. Think the Australian equivalent is "fuckwit". Page 187However as Kiara investigates Neville's fall and the prime suspect turns up dead, there are glimpses of insight I always enjoy from this author:
"Coffee doesn't make you more alert, it just stops you from noticing how tired you are. It's like hiding the fuel gauge instead of filling up the tank." Page 77I really enjoyed this analogy and found myself quoting it for a friend within a week of reading it. Even as I was doing so, I acknowledged the strangeness of quoting a crime author - of a killer cannibal series no less - during a conversation with a friend in need. Thanks Jack!
I believe Kill Your Boss can be read as a standalone although I enjoyed it more than Kill Your Husbands, tipping it over into 5 star territory. The library setting and the cast of characters made Kill Your Boss a highly enjoyable read and fans of Benjamin Stevenson will definitely enjoy this clever Australian whodunnit.
I'll admit I'm dying to get back to the Timothy Blake series so fingers crossed Jack Heath returns soon to the best fictional cannibal ever created on the page.
