Title: WAKE – PI Lane Holland #01
Author: SHELLY BURR
ISBN: 9781529394689
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Pages: 363
Source: Private Copy
The tiny outback town of Nannine lies in the harsh red interior of Australia. Once a thriving center of stockyards and sheep stations, years of punishing drought have petrified the land and Nannine has been whittled down to no more than a stoplight, a couple bars, and a police station. And it has another, more sinister claim to fame: the still-unsolved disappearance of young Evelyn McCreery nineteen years ago. Mina McCreery’s life has been defined by the intense public interest in her sister’s case–which is still a hot topic in true-crime chat rooms and on social media. Now an anxious and reclusive adult, Mina lives alone on her family’s sunbaked destocked sheep farm. Enter Lane Holland, a young private investigator who dropped out of the police academy to earn a living cracking cold cases. Before she died, Mina’s mother funded a million-dollar reward for anyone who could explain how Evelyn vanished from her bed in the family’s farmhouse. The lure of cash has only increased public obsession with Evelyn and Mina–but yielded no answers. Lane wins Mina’s trust when some of his more unconventional methods show promise. But Lane also has darker motivations, and his obsession with the search will ultimately risk both their lives–and yield shocking results.
Official Summary
25 June 2026
This was a second-hand bookstore find, and since I am new to this author, I was immediately drawn in by the cover. (Yes… again!)
The mystery is set on a remote sheep farm in Australia, which proves to be a fantastic backdrop for this unsolved case.
Twin girls are tucked into bed, but by morning one of them has vanished without a trace. The family launches their own search before notifying authorities, a decision that later places them under suspicion.
There is no break-in, no fingerprints, no tyre tracks – nothing for the police to work with. Nineteen years later, no one knows what happened to little Evelyn.
Lane approaches Mina, eager to re-investigate the case and hopefully claim the two-million-dollar reward. But Mina has no desire to return to the spotlight. She has already endured more than enough scrutiny from the media and internet trolls who accused her of murdering her sister when she was only nine years old.
What Mina does not know is that Lane and his family were in town that night, and Lane believes he knows what happened – he just needs to prove it.
This story is filled with secrets and buried truths. Burr uses the remote setting brilliantly; you can feel the isolation of the farm and quickly understand why Mina has embraced a life removed from the outside world.
As Lane’s obsession grows, it initially seems motivated by the reward money. But slowly, you realise there is a far deeper and more personal secret driving his determination.
The plot is well executed, with enough twists and intrigue to keep you invested and curious about the truth. The pacing slowed somewhat in the middle, and sadly this was not quite a “wow” read for me. Nevertheless, it remained entertaining enough to keep me turning the pages.
Also by Shelly Burr
MURDER TOWN – PI Lane Holland #02
Gemma Guillory knows her once-charming town is now remembered for one reason, and one reason only.
That three innocent people died. That the last stop on the Rainier Ripper’s trail of death seventeen years ago was her innocuous little teashop.
She knows that the consequences of catching the Ripper still haunt her police officer husband and their marriage to this day and that some of her neighbours are desperate – desperate enough to welcome a dark tourism company keen to cash in on Rainier’s reputation as the murder town.
When the tour operator is killed by a Ripper copycat on Gemma’s doorstep, the unease that has lurked quietly in the original killer’s wake turns to foreboding, and she’s drawn into the investigation. Unbeknownst to her, so is a prisoner named Lane Holland.
Gemma knows her town. She knows her people. Doesn’t she?
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Shelley Burr works at the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment in Canberra, Australia. She grew up splitting her time between Newcastle and Glenrowan, where her father’s family are all sheep farmers
Thank you for visiting the blog. Are you a Shelly Burr fan? Which is your favourite book? Leave a comment below and I will add it to my TBR. Until next time… Happy Reading!
