Retribution is a worthy successor to Unforgiven (Lexi Winter 1, 2021) in what will no doubt become a much-loved new Australian crime-thriller series by author Sarah Barrie.

Heroine Lexi Winter is now a serving probationary Constable, having aced her studies at NSW's police academy. She's based at Wyong Police Station, on NSW's Central Coast and paired with Sergeant Christian Rico, whose forbearance and humour in the face of Lexi's gung-ho attitude and lack of respect for the police hierarchy are admirable.

The book opens with train commuter Daisy witnessing an apparent altercation between a female fellow-passenger and a male assailant at isolated Wondabyne train station, located on the banks of Mullet Creek, an offshoot of the Hawkesbury River. The following day, Lexi defies Rico's orders by pursuing a suspected drug dealer into the nearby Woy Woy train tunnel, narrowly escaping an approaching passenger train.

Meanwhile, Detective Sergeant Finn Carson of the Sydney homicide squad is called to a suspicious death at a Sydney building site – the victim has been found impaled on scaffolding - but did he fall from the upper floors of the building site, or was he pushed?

After an operation gone disastrously wrong, the two cases becomes intertwined, as Lexi uncovers links between the crimes and the notorious Hamill crime family. Several dangerous pursuits and gruesome deaths later, a link to an historical crime is revealed, with the abrasive Lexi once again an unlikely heroine in the fight for truth and justice.

After a lull in the second quarter, the pace and excitement lifted again after the half-way point and I was thoroughly engrossed right up to the last page. Sarah Barrie's character development is excellent, with Lexi Winter an unusual, complex and fascinating creation as series lead character and flawed heroine. The large cast of supporting characters, both new and recurring, were also well-drawn and believable. While I'm not particularly familiar with the area north of Sydney, the setting in and around the NSW Central Coast was evocative and had me regularly consulting Google Earth, which is always a sign I'm completely absorbed in a book!

I'd recommend Retribution to readers who enjoy action-packed, complex mystery-thrillers, and are comfortable with some dark themes and gruesome crime scenes. I'd strongly recommend reading Unforgiven prior to embarking on Retribution, as there are significant plot and character arcs which continue on from the previous book.

My thanks to the author, Sarah Barrie, publisher Harlequin Australia, HQ (Fiction, Non Fiction, YA) & MIRA, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this title.