Black River opens with the discovery of a young woman’s body, wrapped in black plastic, in the vast bushland of a prestigious private school in Sydney. Detective Chief Inspector O’Neil and Detective Sergeant Rose Riley are trying to find links between this fresh murder, and the two unsolved slayings by the ‘Blue Moon Killer’ along the Parramatta River. Washed up journalist Adam Bowman is thrown into the thick of the investigation, as he works between the detectives and his editor to help piece together this puzzle, while getting his career back on course. The entire school community watches on in horror as many of them become suspects in an investigation to hunt down a serial killer on the loose.

Spencer puts you in the thick of the mystery, giving you a firm grasp on this murder mystery from both a detective’s perspective, as well as an investigative journalist perspective. His red herrings are millimetre perfect, as he constantly keeps you doubting your predictions. You could easily mistake him for a seasoned veteran of the thriller genre.

A debut like few others, this tale feels vibrant and real for an array of reasons. Spencer himself is an accomplished journalist, who grew up in Parramatta with parents who taught and lived on the grounds of the prestigious King’s School.

Keep the lights on while you read this one. The plotting is masterful and the setting faithful to the rugged Australian landscape. Spencer has made a statement in this outstanding debut. Black River has the potential to be one of the best police procedural novels of 2022.

Reviewed by Samuel Bernard