Thirst (L A Larkin, Pier 9)

L A Larkin’s debut The Genesis Flaw was a fabulous eco-thriller with tight storytelling that stretched—but didn’t break—credibility, so readers will come to her second novel with high expectations. Thirst has all the key ingredients: an isolated scientific station; a ruthless businessman planning to exploit an untapped resource; a maverick hero; a ticking clock; and a conspiracy that reaches from the icy wastes of Antarctica to China’s Communist Party. The action barely pauses from beginning to end. There are crevasse rescues, avalanches, some romance and even a little makeshift surgery. It should have been up there with Matthew Reilly’s Ice Station. The problem for me is that much of the plot hinges on coincidental relationships, overheard conversations, lucky finds and guesses. Key characters appear when convenient (an assassin, a doctor, an accountant), the countdown is almost entirely arbitrary, and the villain is happy to share his plans with his victims—rather than just killing them. I was disappointed that the strings weren’t better hidden. It’s impossible to know how much editorial development went into Thirst, but it definitely deserved more.

Lachlan Jobbins is a reviewer, editor, ex-bookseller and presenter on For the Love of Books on STUDIO (Foxtel)

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Category: Reviews