Lachlan Pirie

A dark, psychological thriller by debut author Lachlan Pirie

Daniel Rodrigues is serving time in the Wolston Correctional Centre in Wacol for causing grievous bodily harm to his wife, Janet. It is his third prison sentence, and he has been incarcerated for thirty years in total, for numerous assaults on his wife.  Janet visits Daniel in prison and he attacks her again, and threatens to kill her. His desire to kill his wife, has morphed into a chronic, cyclic obsession. Another prison inmate, Jonathon (Jon) Little, is an ex-lawyer, who was convicted of defrauding his wife of five million dollars. When his wife, Kay, serves Jon his divorce papers in prison, he is enraged.  Daniel first meets Jon when he is transferred to his prison cell in Wolston, and the pair concoct an elaborate plan to kill their wives. Jon’s experience as a criminal lawyer, leads him to believe he has the perfect ‘murder exchange’ strategy. The plan involves each prisoner killing the others wife, while the husband is out of the country and has a solid alibi. There is no money involved, just a pact between two fellow inmates and disgruntled husbands. Their only ‘reward is purely their own satisfaction’. When both inmates are released on parole, they set out to complete the task. But can each prisoner really trust their fellow inmate? And will each man fulfil their murderous pact?

The Resolution by Lachlan Pirie is a dark, psychological thriller about a couple of disturbed prison inmates who plan to murder each other’s wives when they are released from prison.  Written in the third-person point of view, alongside a collection of excerpts taken from the personal journal written by Daniel Rodriguez’s alternate personality Tinkler Rodriguez. The journal provides a narrative on the events the happen following Daniel’s/Tinkler’s release from prison. 

This is such a unique concept, and I was hooked from the first chapter. The characters are very well developed – vile, but at the same time, intriguing. The plot is clever, intricate and fast moving. The writing is excellent, and I particularly enjoyed the alternating perspectives of the main characters. There is a big unexpected twist at the end, which will make you question every little detail in book. Totally unexpected.

Star rating: 5 Stars

Summary: A clever and complex psychological thriller. I couldn't put this compelling debut down.