Author: Ashley Kalagian Blunt
Publisher: Ultimo Press (Hardie Grant)
Reviewer: Robyn Pryor
I reviewed Ashley’s fabulous novel, Cold Truth, and was thrilled when given the same opportunity with Like, Follow, Die. This is the third book I’ve read by Ashley, where she shows the terrifying side of the internet, and how easy it is for anyone, especially young people, to become spellbound and influenced beyond rationality.
The black cover with eerie green text, several white thumbs up, and one red thumbs down, had me intrigued. I was eager to open the book and begin reading.
Familiar Sydney references placed me straight in the setting, and the comfort of an Aussie yarn. The comfort stopped there. This story is prickly, full of suspense right through until the nail-biting end.
Like, Follow, Die is told from three points of view: Ben via his diary, Corrinne, Ben’s mother, and Naz, a homicide police officer on parole. The novel jumps into action with hints of a dark incident involving Ben. The excerpts from his diary are fascinating and illuminating. They helped me understand what led to the moment of his downfall, but it took almost the entire book, and some desperate page turning, to discover exactly what he’d done.
Corrinne, referred to by many as the most hated woman in Australia, blames herself for her role in Ben’s demise. As a single mother of boys, I related to her anguish.
Police officers Naz and Duffy are under extreme pressure to solve the murders of two men, their investigation underpinned by work and personal problems. Naz fights to impress Duffy, and continue working at Homicide in the city. I like him. He’s a genuine man trying to do the right thing by the police, support his pregnant wife, and prove himself to the force.
Duffy is arrogant and mean, a thorn in Naz’s side, but for good reason. He has major health issues to contend with, and his stellar police reputation to uphold. Secondary characters Tai and Chelsea are well written. Their behaviour adds to the shaping of Ben’s mind, from innocent boy to desperate teen.
Through the story I experienced a sensation of impending doom. Something had happened, but I couldn’t work out what, or how the murders of the two men were connected to Ben and Corrinne.
Like, Follow, Die was hard to put down. A thrilling exercise of dot connecting to work out who was responsible, and for what. I was mesmerised from the first page, but the climax was so intense, I couldn’t read quickly enough. I flew through the pages, my heart pounding, cooking dinner totally forgotten.
I thoroughly recommend you read Like, Follow, Die, not just for an incredible crime story, but also as a reminder. Beware.
Publishers blurb
Corinne Gray’s life is falling apart. When homicide detective Kyle Nazarian unexpectedly knocks on her door on a rainy morning, she knows why. He wants to talk about her son, Ben.
An average teen in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Ben is dating his first girlfriend and trying to find an after-school job. But as his luck sours, he’s increasingly drawn into shadowy corners of the internet.This is Corinne’s chance to finally explain how her sweet-natured child, who loved history and dreamed of swimming for Olympic gold, grew up to do the unthinkable.
What really happened to Ben?
And could anyone have prevented it?
Kyle, meanwhile, is grappling with his own crisis both at home and at work. Torn between his duties and a growing sympathy for Corinne, Kyle must decide how far he’s willing to go in his pursuit of justice.
For fans of Lisa Jewell’s None of This Is True and Netflix’s Adolescence, this shattering and provocative psychological thriller dives into the darkest corners of the internet and the powerful bonds between parents and children.