Broke Road

Rose Riley, Book 2

By: Matthew Spencer

Narrated by: Kellie Jones

In Australia’s bucolic wine country, a homicide detective is on the hunt for a killer with a ruthless agenda in a gripping novel of suspense by the author of Black River.

A young woman is found dead in her isolated town house in rural Red Creek, an up-and-coming wine tourism destination outside Sydney. No forced entry. No signs of struggle. And her geologist husband has an alibi, though it’s not exactly solid. While a tabloid journalist is quick to spin her own damning narrative, homicide detective Rose Riley is questioning everything she sees—especially in a rapidly developing community that already seems on edge.

While Riley and her partner, Priya Patel, work the case with a local detective, crime reporter Adam Bowman follows his own leads. Then forensic evidence matches that of a pair of unsolved murders elsewhere in Australia: two other married women, murdered months apart yet in the exact same manner. Riley realizes she’s dealing with a serial killer. But one whose victims weren’t random. These women were chosen, watched, and targeted for a purpose.

As the secrets in this small town emerge, the suspects mount. Now Riley must unearth the deadliest secret of all—the true motive behind the murders—before another woman dies.

©2025 by Matthew Spencer. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“This character-driven whodunit…satisfies.” —Kirkus Reviews

“If you like a good police procedural, you’ll love this. Enthralling. Matthew Spencer nails it.” —Chris Hammer, author of The Valley

“Place, pace, and brilliantly detailed police procedure. Matthew Spencer’s Broke Road has everything you’d want from a crime thriller. Well drawn characters driving an intricate sophisticated plot. A great read.” —Michael Brissenden, author of Smoke

The mystery was intteresting.

I liked the the author integrated the character's personalities into the story. It was a well written, well narrated book.