Publishers Weekly
★ 05/13/2019
This brilliantly crafted, slow-burn crime novel from Australian Clifford (All These Perfect Strangers) slides with delicious subtlety from a story that begins in small-town reminiscences and regrets, moves into amateur investigation blended with personal history and deep secrets, and then takes a plunge into driving thriller territory. Lawyer Eliza Carmody knows she will get little sympathy in her hometown of Kinsale, Australia, because she’s there not only to visit her pregnant best friend, Amy Liu, and her father, Mick Carmody, who’s unresponsive in nursing care after a car accident, but also to develop her case on behalf of Colcart Electric in a class action suit by Kinsale’s residents over a devastating and fatal bushfire. Witnessing a violent fight involving Luke Tyrell, whom she remembers from childhood, leads her to revisit the events of New Year’s Eve 1996, during which her other best friend, Grace Hedland, disappeared. The author tugs hard at universal human emotions as she explores themes of grief and the unreliability of memory. Readers will view everyone Eliza encounters with a blend of suspicion and sympathy. Clifford is definitely a writer to watch. Agent: Clare Forster, Curtis Brown. (July)
New York Journal of Books
"A riveting novel as both a mystery and a dissection of relationships, well written with superb characterizations, Second Sight is an insightful, entertaining read."
David Krugler
"Second Sight is a masterful intertwining of a just-occurred death with the crimes of the not-so-distant past. Clifford vividly portrays a small seaside Australian town whose residents are too quick to claim that all is well even as their own actions darkly hint at secrets—present and past—they'd like to keep buried. As Eliza closes in on the truth, we can't help but wonder how her dangerous discoveries will stagger her—and us. "
Emma Viskic
"With Second Sight, Aoife Clifford confirms herself as one of Australia's up-and-coming crime writers. A young lawyer's investigation into a lethal bushfire leads her into danger, and the truth about her own troubled past. A compelling story about secrets, small town loyalties, and lies."
Booklist
"Fans of Jane Harper’s mysteries will feel right at home."
Emily Maguire
"Aoife Clifford is brilliant at showing how the past is a strong, pulsing stream that infects and directs the present. She's done it again with Second Sight, a pacy, gripping thriller with thick ropes of regret, trauma, misunderstood love and misdirected duty slithering beneath."
Pop Culture Association
"A gripping and suspenseful novel."
Anna George
"Skilfully plotted and intricate, Second Sight is another engrossing read by one of our most talented crime writers. Aoife Clifford's second novel explores how the impact of decisions made decades ago can reverberate, to devastating effect, in the present. A story shaped by the ravages of bushfire, the secrets of a small town, and a returned local's search for redemption. Highly recommended. "
Julie McElwain
"Second Sight is a beautifully crafted tale of treachery, tangled perceptions, and family dysfunction. Clifford masterfully packages skewed realities and hard-held grudges in a ride that breathlessly picks up speed until its last shocking conclusion. Impossible to put down!"
Garry Disher
"With its shifting viewpoints and sharply observed characters, Second Sight is a shrewdly paced account of a young litigation lawyer's investigation into a suspicious fire and her own troubled history. "
Fiona Barton
"Clifford absolutely nailed it again. The characters were beautifully drawn and the small town intrigues kept me turning pages to the big reveal at the end. Brava! "
Jane Harper
"All These Perfect Strangers is a wonderful, gripping and compelling read that lingers long after the book is closed. Aoife Clifford creates a disturbing but compelling cast of characters, leaving the reader constantly guessing what's around the corner, and her cleverly woven plot shines a harsh spotlight on the question of whether the past can ever truly be left behind."
Sydney Morning Herald
"Incisive prose that establishes Clifford as something of a stylist. Trouble and teenagers are at the heart of this fine crime novel that introduces us to Melbourne lawyer Eliza Carmody, who has reluctantly returned to her home town to investigate the cause of a catastrophic bush fire two years earlier. Nice work."
Sarah Bailey
"I was addicted from page one and I read Second Sight like I was on fire. Perfect pacing. Aoife Clifford has painted a wonderful portrait of a town struggling under the weight of its secrets. I couldn’t get enough of Eliza Carmody. "
The Australian
"A gripping thriller. The tension is high, the pace rapid, and the plot primed to keep the pages turning. Clifford’s interwoven themes let her tackle significant contemporary issues."
William Boyle
"Aoife Clifford's Second Sight put me right there in Kinsale with Eliza Carmody. Heavy with secrets, twisty, propulsive, and beautifully written, it grabbed me from the first sentence and just didn't let go. Impossible to put down and even more impossible to shake after you're finished."
BookPage
"A thematically rich study in fragile memories and outright duplicity. And yes, it is utterly gripping."
Foreword Reviews (starred)
"A gripping, gut-wrenching thriller. The novel moves at a tantalizing pace. Second Sight is an excellent, tense, slick mystery that investigates a small town’s evil secrets."
From the Publisher
“A riveting novel as both a mystery and a dissection of relationships, well written with
superb characterizations, Second Sight is an insightful, entertaining read.” —New York Journal of Books
“Clifford masterfully packages skewed realities and hard-held grudges in a ride that
breathlessly picks up speed until its last shocking conclusion. Impossible to put down!” —Julie McElwain, author of A Murder in Time
“Impossible to put down and even more impossible to shake after you’re finished.” —William Boyle, author of A Friend Is a Gift You Give Yourself
“A gripping thriller. The tension is high, the pace rapid, and the plot primed to keep the
pages turning. Clifford’s interwoven themes let her tackle significant contemporary issues.” —The Australian
Booklist
"Fans of Jane Harper’s mysteries will feel right at home."
Sydney Morning Herald [Praise for All These Perfect Strangers]
A stunning debut.
