by Jane Caro
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, 2025
Review
by Ola Kwintowski
Megan Blaxland, a retired detective, loves a ‘proper leaf tea, correctly brewed in a pre-warmed pot’, but not as much as she loves uncovering dead bodies and tracking down their killers. It is no surprise when she agrees to come out of retirement for a case that went cold twenty years ago—her very first case—as a body, or rather a skeleton, has literally surfaced to attention.
Jane Caro’s Lyrebird is set in a remote town a few hours from Sydney, in Barrington Tops. It’s the kind of town where everyone knows everyone and all their business. Or at least they think they do. Caro opens the narrative with the intriguing and chilling song of the lyrebird, a haunting prelude to the mystery that unfolds. At the heart of the novel is the friendship between two women, Blaxland, a conscientious detective, and Weston, a successful university scholar. They navigate motherhood, grief, career challenges and the ubiquitous challenge of patriarchy.
Caro drives the plot forward, scattering red herrings that are plausible and clever, while weaving in discussions about climate change, power imbalance and human trafficking. It’s no easy feat, but Caro rises to the challenge with eloquent prose, clear intent and compelling concepts—all grounded in characters who feel genuine and real. Blaxland is portrayed as a hardy character who is also tender. Her vulnerability and compassion earns her the trust of both colleagues and victims alike. Weston, meanwhile, exudes confidence while quietly second-guessing herself—a duality many readers may recognise and relate to.
The depiction of the natural surrounds situates the characters into an authentic Australian landscape, described through ‘great swathes of nettles’, ‘fungi of orange, white and grey [that] peppered its softening trunk’, ‘soft, yellow-grassed, springy bog … thickly wooden hills’, overgrown tracks and boggy roads. These descriptions present a sinister backdrop for the gruesome murders but also celebrate the wild beauty of the rainforest. Natural elements like drought and fire are used to heighten the tension, giving the story a visceral quality that adds drama and urgency.
I thoroughly enjoyed the crime element of the novel. Caro is a skilled storyteller, guiding readers through a mystery that keeps us guessing about the culprit from the first chapter to the very end. It’s a gripping experience, free from gimmicks—Caro offers enough information for readers to stitch the clues together and solve the crime. Themes such as motherhood are interweaved into the fabric of the characters, reminding us that people are complex and never one-dimensional—they are a culmination of all things which contribute to their greater self. This is a standout achievement of Caro’s craft—offering nuanced reflections on identity, connection and the human condition.
Lyrebird is a sophisticated, multilayered novel and an engaging read. Highly recommended.
Publisher’s blurb
Lyrebirds are brilliant mimics, so if they mimic a woman screaming in terror and begging for her life, they have witnessed a crime. But how does a young, hungover PHD student and a wet behind the ears new detective, convince anyone that a native bird can be a reliable witness to a murder, especially when there is no body and no missing person?
And what happens when they turn out to be right?
A sound froze her blood. A woman. A woman screaming in pure terror. Screaming and sobbing—begging—out here, in this desolate place.
Twenty years ago, ornithology student Jessica Weston panicked when she heard a woman screaming for her life in the remote Barrington Tops. Her relief, when she discovers that it is a lyrebird making the sounds, is profound. She is thrilled to have caught his display on video. Then she remembers—lyrebirds are mimics. Whatever the wild creature has heard must have really happened, and happened nearby.
Jessica takes her video to the police. Despite support from newly minted detective, Megan Blaxland, with no missing person reported and no body, her evidence is ridiculed and dismissed.
Twenty years later, a body is unearthed, just where Jessica said it would be.
Horrified they let the case go cold, Jessica, now an associate professor, and Megan, recently retired but brought back to head up the investigation, reunite and join forces. They are determined to find the killer, whatever it takes. What they don’t realise is that they are not just putting their lives in danger, but also the lives of those close to them . . .