Lies, betrayals, jealousies and murder…
When they filled the creek, they buried more than a secret
The Waterhole by Lily Malone
OUT NOW
When a backyard dare to discover the source of a fabled waterhole uncovers human bones, small town detective, Marley West, leaps at the chance to kickstart his stalled career. But it’s more than two decades since developers filled the Cowaramup creek. The woman who owned the land—the Ross family matriarch—has passed away. Relations between her sons, Jack and Bill, are colder than the case.
Then the Ross family learn Marley is the grandson of notorious police sergeant, Alan West, the corrupt cop who once ruled the town with an iron fist.
To solve the case, Marley must gain the trust of three people with no reason to trust each other and less reason to trust him: Bill, who left the love of his life to fight in Vietnam; charismatic Jack, who could always catch the eye of a pretty girl; and city school teacher, Annette, whose move to Cowaramup in 1966 would change the Ross brothers’ lives forever.
As he navigates a tangled web of lies and betrayals, jealousies and murder, Marley has to ask himself: are these bones better left buried?
Want a chapter sample? Easy.
Lily Malone also answers The 3 Big Questions about writing The Waterhole
Buy The Waterhole
PAPERBACK/PRINT copies are available only from Lily Malone
– easily secure your signed paperback here on Lily’s blog: https://lilymalone.blog/the-waterhole/
Digital eBooks are available from all your preferred E-retailers
Lily Malone
Australian Fiction Author
Contemporary. Country. Australian.
Read more about Lily and her books and discover where to follow her on social media
The 3 Big Questions
- What gave you the most pleasure when writing The Waterhole?
Believe it or not, it was writing the villain in the book and getting inside his head. I have always loved reading crime stories, and with my hubby we will often watch true-crime shows such as True Detective, and Mindhunter. After that, I think it was my sense of fun in setting this story so locally… it’s literally outside my fence really. I liked talking with my mum and dad and others about what life was like in Cowaramup (think blink-and-you-miss-it town), in the 1960s which is when mum moved to Cowaramup from Perth to take up a teaching position in the school. (Don’t worry, Mum. This story is not about you… and the similarities end there).
- What were the difficulties you faced when writing the story?
Getting police procedural elements right, but luckily a friend’s dad is an ex WA police official and his help was gold. I’m very lucky I began the story pre-Covid because I needed multiple cups of tea and visits to get things on the way to being right. After that, it came down to several very long phone calls, just nailing down some of the science, such as: how does a body deteriorate under water over a number of years; how much weight does it take to weight a body down and how would somebody weight down a body etc etc.
- When you waved The Waterhole goodbye, on its way to readers and out of your hands, what did you do first?
I had the biggest smile when my colleague picked up my books for me from the post office. I’d been very worried about how it would look because I was trying hard to meet a deadline of our local Cowaramup Christmas Fair to launch the print copies and it came down to the books arriving on Tuesday November 16, prior to my launch on Sunday November 21. I actually couldn’t open the box. My colleague, Amy, was the one who busted through the packaging and started ooh-ing and aaah-ing and then I just had to look! But relief is the expression that springs to mind, followed very closely by being proud of the book and the story and of course, hoping my readers like it.
Read Chapter One here
https://lilymalone.blog/2021/11/02/chapter-1-of-the-waterhole/
Buy The Waterhole
PAPERBACK/PRINT copies are available only from Lily Malone
– easily secure your signed paperback here on Lily’s blog: https://lilymalone.blog/the-waterhole/
Digital eBooks are available from all your preferred E-retailers
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