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The Washup

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The Washup

By: Nicole Crowe
Narrated by: Gabrielle Scawthorn
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About this listen

A tragic accident in paradise…or a calculated crime?

After her parents’ death in a car crash two years ago, Eve is back in the tumbledown family house on Magnetic Island, surrounded by nosy neighbours, an over-friendly possum and a cast of eccentric locals.

All Eve has left is her sister Tilly–not that she’s seen much of her lately, between Tilly’s history of disastrous relationships and her tendency to drink too much. And when Eve is introduced to her new boyfriend Matt, a skydiving instructor and dead ringer for a young Richard Gere, she senses trouble.

Shortly after, a skydive goes wrong and Eve is left with a mountain of unanswered questions. Matt is the prime suspect as far as she is concerned, but proving it is another matter…especially after the cops rule it an accident. It doesn’t help when Eve’s ill-advised sleepover with Shane, the local cop, goes catastrophically wrong.

In trying to solve one mystery, Eve will uncover a far deeper secret hidden in the rocky outcrops of Magnetic Island–and put her own life on the line.

©2025 Nicole Crowe (P)None W. F. Howes ltd. Amateur Sleuths Crime Fiction Mystery
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Loved picturing where the characters where on the island throughout the story. Enjoyed the small town/village storyline.

Island life

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This was so much fun! It’s a murder mystery set on Magnetic Island in Queensland, Australia, and it had me hooked straight away. I loved how it blended serious and suspenseful crime elements with a hefty dose humour. It made me laugh out loud several times, most especially the references to dream-catchers :)

The main character, Eve, has recently lost her parents and is living in their old house on Magnetic island. When tragedy strikes again in the form of a tragic skydiving accident, she finds herself untangling the truth of exactly what happened. She's bold and unpredictable, but also loveable and relatable, and she had me cheering for her even in her craziest of moments. I especially liked her relationship with her best friend Sandra and the childhood-friend-turned-cop, Shane.

One of the things I loved most about this novel, though, was the setting. Although I’ve been to other Australian beachside communities, I’ve never been to Magnetic Island, and now I really want to go. The whole story was imbued with the feel of that place and the culture of a small and quirky island community where everyone knows everyone. I also liked seeing how there was a difference between the people on the island and the people on the mainland in terms of the way they saw each other, given the two places are only connected by a ferry that seems to take quite a while.

The narrator, Gabrielle Scawthorn, did an excellent job of voicing it and getting all the Aussie accents just right, as well as the drama and humour, so much so that it made me homesick (I'm an Australian living overseas). A very professional and entertaining read.

I devoured this within the space of a couple of days, so I can highly recommend it if you like murder mysteries set in unique locations with a dash of comedy.

Funny & suspenseful mystery set on Magnetic Island

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The Washup captured me in the first chapter and held me in the story till the last word. The story gave me insight and connection to the characters - I felt like I knew them! The storytelling accurately described Magnetic Island and Townsville and transformed me to see the story unfold. Enjoyed the detailed descriptions and being transformed to location throughout the story. A wonderful read.

So realistic and compelling

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.