The Man in the Dam (Jade Riley Mysteries Book 3)

A dinner party, a dead body, and a town full of secrets

When journalist Jade Riley hosts a dinner at her parents’ picturesque country home in Mansfield, it’s meant to be a relaxed evening with members of the local amateur theatre society. But the next morning, one of her guests is found dead in the dam.

As Jade investigates, it becomes clear that everyone at the table was hiding something. Long-held grudges, a hidden identity, and a rumoured family heirloom point to a web of motives. Then, a dramatic twist pulls Jade into deeper waters—both emotionally and literally—as the line between performance and truth begins to blur.

Set against the atmospheric backdrop of Victoria’s High Country, The Man in the Dam is a tightly-woven mystery about trust, sacrifice, and what lies beneath the surface.

Available now—start reading The Man in the Dam today.

Excerpt from the book

At 6:30 am, Jade wrapped her pale pink dressing gown around her and tiptoed into the messy kitchen. She’d barely slept. Some of the tension left her shoulders when she saw Brett wasn’t there. The evening before should have ended in the most magical moment of her life. Instead, she’d messed up.

Her last glass of Prosecco had been a mistake, but she never could say no to anything with bubbles. Rather than rejoicing in Brett’s proposal, she’d pushed him away. If they hadn’t been house-minding Jade’s parents’ home in Mansfield, he’d have left, but after drinking, he couldn’t make the two-and-a-half-hour drive back to Melbourne, so he’d spent the night nursing his wounded feelings in the spare bedroom.

The scent of empty beer cans, wine bottles and unwashed glasses on the kitchen counter took her back to the dinner party they’d hosted the night before with key players from the Mansfield production of The Importance of Being Earnest. Jade’s mum, Gina, had landed the role of Lady Bracknell and wanted the show to be the local theatre company’s biggest and best ever. Hence, she’d cajoled her journalist daughter to write an article and arranged the dinner so Jade could meet some of the people. To Brett’s credit, he’d played along and agreed to be Jade’s ‘assistant’ for the story, making it clear he’d be willing to do anything to please the boss.

Jade switched on the kettle and washed the dishes, mulling over her clumsy response to Brett. Had she made a huge mistake? Maybe she should have given him a chance. Before she’d met him, she’d avoided getting close to anyone, scared the cost of love would be too great – or more precisely, the cost of losing love. People around her had a nasty habit of dying. At just twenty-nine, she’d already lost three dear friends; she couldn’t face that gut-wrenching grief again. But Brett’s gentleness and strength of character – not to mention their crazy attraction – had lowered her defences. They’d been dating for eighteen months, and he’d won her trust, respect and love.

Now this.

She continued stacking the dishwasher, scraping leftover salad into the bin. Brett was an engineer, more practical than romantic, so while she’d never envisaged a proposal involving a horse and cart, a hot-air balloon or a skywriter shouting from the heavens, she’d hoped for something more movie-like than an impulsive, half-drunk ‘will you marry me?’ while snuggling on her parents’ couch. She’d certainly never dreamed Brett would pop the question for the sake of relocating to Malaysia as a married couple, especially – and here came the crunch – when she’d have to give up her job. A hasty wedding motivated by convenience? No, thank you.

She’d called him thoughtless and self-centred. In retrospect, a smidge hypocritical. Shame washed over her at the memory of the pain on his face and crestfallen slump of his back as he’d walked away. His quiet acceptance of her refusal had made her shrivel into herself. Anger would have been easier to deal with.