* Copy courtesy of Text Publishing *
Panic by Catherine Jinks is an Australian psychological thriller featuring a character by the name of Bronte who is escaping a serious case of cyber bullying after a drunken post went viral. Desperate for a job, Bronte accepts a live-in position offering room and board to look after dementia sufferer Nell in a large rural property near Bathurst in NSW. An exclusive spiritual retreat business is being run at the property by Nell's daughter Veda and several employees who - unbeknownst to Bronte when she applied for the position - also happen to be sovereign citizens.
Sovereign citizens take issue with authority and don't accept the rule of law or respect the government. When Bronte suspects her boss Veda is a sovereign citizen who refuses to pay tax or register her car, she dismisses her beliefs as harmless conspiracy theories. Living in a caravan removed from the house, Bronte begins caring for Nell but it isn't long before things start to go wrong.
I've never read a book set in the world of sovereign citizens or with a sovereign citizen (SovCit) as a character so this was an absolute first for me. I readily admit I have little interest in - or tolerance for - the movement, however this certainly didn't impact my engagement with Bronte's experience and the tension that quickly began to mount.
There's also a mystery in Panic to be unravelled and some tense situations to navigate which made for an action packed and exciting read. I also enjoyed the creative decision the author made to take the story beyond its natural conclusion to give us a look at what happened after the climax of the main events. And boy what a climax!
I enjoyed The Attack by Catherine Jinks back in 2022, but Panic had way more action and suspense and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Panic by Catherine Jinks is published today and I can highly recommend it!
