Graphic designer Dervla Johns' half-sister and half-brother are found dead in their beds, along with their mother, Lucinda. The police have a prime suspect – her father, Warren. Dervla tangles with the investigating officer, Det. Sr. Sgt. Todd Gleeson, more than once before they settle into an uneasy truce.

Characters keep popping up, making it a little difficult to keep track of who's who, unless one pays attention. In fact, I had to make a list as I went along. Get ready to be introduced to a list of suspects galore: Warren, of course, but there's also Lucinda's ex-husband, Warren's secret lover, his personal assistant, Dervla's druggie half-sister and her "toxic" boyfriend, or perhaps, another of Warren's secret lovers.

As if that weren't enough, Dervla has to cope with others – her two warring brothers who are constantly at each other's throats, her sleazy ex-fiancé whose zipper is always open at the ready, her father's PR consultant who's a good friend in an abusive relationship, and a freelance reporter who's playing her for an exclusive.

Unable to reconcile answers she's given (or more accurately, not given) to the myriad questions effervescing in her mind, Dervla plays detective on her own. She juggles matters and her thoughts, and finds out a few things for us to mull over.

Once again, Vicky Tyley had me guessing, right from the start, trying to figure out whodunnit. I've enjoyed reading all her books, paying particular attention to her maturing style. And in the process, I've learned quite a bit about contemporary Australian society.

I’ve read all of Vicki Tyley’s books and they all have some qualities that keep me coming back starting with well constructed plots with multiple “suspects” to choose from. I’ve yet to figure out whodunit until just before the climax, often getting completely blindsided. (I then think back to the clues and realize they were all there, if I’d only seen them.) The tension tends to be high, like a thriller, with the protagonist often in danger (or at least feeling they are). The protagonist is always someone I like and find myself pulling for them to solve the mystery. The Australian settings and characters add a little spice, setting them apart and giving me a change of pace from the norm.

Bitter Nothings has all of these qualities which leaves me feeling that I don’t have anything new to say (other than “buy this book, you’ll like it”). So, buy this book, you’ll like it.

The story starts off with the gunshot in the prologue, and the plot doesn’t stop or detour until the denouement in the epilogue. This isn’t to say there aren’t subplots or that the novel is nothing but darkness and murder. There are three minor subplots, one of Dervla’s best friend Sophie, dealing with her ex-husband Martin, which intercedes in Dervla’s story at just the right points. The next largest is a romantic thread. It never gets in the way of the story, but I wish I had gotten a bit more closure with it by the end. The third is very small and largely tied into the main plot and involves Dervla trying to keep track of her half-sister Alana, who lives with her boyfriend Toxic. Dervla’s relationship with her siblings and surviving half-sibling works out very well. Her brothers love her and each other, though they sometimes have difficulty showing it past all the arguing they do (which was very well written out and not at all typical sibling banter), and Dervla clearly does love Alana, even if Alana is too bitter to accept it. Each sibling has a distinct personality, one that feels real rather than simply like a type, i.e., the protective older brother, the delinquent, etc.