This was a really enjoyable mystery with a very unusual setting. Unamurra is a tiny town of 50 residents a drought-ravaged area of the Outback, hundreds of miles from the nearest big town. Two men have been murdered a month apart and both bodies have been elaborately posed as angels so are obviously the work of the same killer. The first investigation was rather cursory by a local constable and after the second Detective Dana Russo is flown in from hundreds of miles away. She is seemingly being set up to fail by being given one week to investigate and solve the murders. She has her work cut out for her, being a stranger in this strange land. This is a slow burn, atmospheric mystery, even though it does take place in a condensed time frame. It never feels rushed or unbelievable, and the denouement is thoroughly explained and resolved.

Just finished reading Red Dirt Road and had to come straight on here and give it 5 stars! It blew me away. I wasn't expecting it at all. I like outback murder mysteries but this really was something else. I didn't realise that this is the authors 3rd novel, so I will be diving into them soon. The last chapter was especially moving for me, I won't say anything about it but I sums up how I feel about the world since covid came along.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read - a clever, intriguing and somewhat weird whodunnit in a most unusual setting. I loved the way SR White’s atmospheric narrative took me right into the Australian outback during The Dry, a place and a climate which I have never come remotely close to experiencing. I readily identified with the two main characters, Dana the outsider detective and Able the local police constable, and the way their relationship developed had an authentic ring to it. I found the ‘reveal’ to be just a little too quick and easy for our detective heroine to arrive at but this did not spoil my enjoyment of this very good book.

Two bodies are discovered in this remote Australian town; both set out like the angels that a local sculptor has been putting around the area. Detective Dana Russo is flown in to solve the murders, although she discovers the first murder was handled in a very superficial manner and the local bobby was sidelined on the original investigation.

Dana knows her career is on the line; her boss doesn't like her and will use any failure as a reason t0 remove her. But with such a small town and only 50 suspects, how can it be so difficult to find a killer. The town is convinced its no-one local; Dana just hopes it is as otherwise there will be no chance in the vast expanse of Australia's outback to find this very specific killer, where even having a mobile signal is not a given.

A great read, painting a clear picture of life in the outback and the difficulties there, particularly during a drought.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What can I say? I just loved Red Dirt Road. Sometimes I feel crime novels rush into "the action" but this just took time to paint a picture of a town slowly being strangled by drought and the intricate relationships within it.
The reveal was clever and detailed but for me it wasn't about the destination, it was the fantastic journey to get there.

If you like a good detective book do not miss this one! It is set in Australia in a small town of 50 residents 200 miles away from the nearest main town. Two people have been murdered and their bodies displayed in a bizarre way. The key detective Dana is sent to work with the local policeman to investigate the murders. She appears to be being set up to fail and has been given a very restricted timescale to solve the murders. The pace of the book is great with the right amount of description of the landscape to be able to envisage it. I really engaged with the book and my enjoyment was maintained throughout the book. I had not read any other books by this author and I will be reading more!

I was a huge fan of "Hermit" so I was eager to dive into Red Dirt Road and it did not disappoint.

Two murders in an isolated town suffering through drought sets the scene and Red Dirt Road is a brilliant character study, an intriguing mystery and a real page turner.

SR White really gives the reader insight, weaving the setting around his characters, motives and possibilities making it unpredictable and cleverly edgy.

A read in one sitting novel, beautifully crafted.

Unamurra is a sinister town in the back of beyond. But is this just a community that looks after its own? I hadn't a clue what was going on for most of the book but the denouement was delicious! "Red Dirt Road" is well-plotted and atmospheric. I particularly enjoyed the setting and I look forward to reading more from S. R. White.

3.5 stars
Coming from a land where we have plenty of rain, the back drop to the murders fascinated me, a country so vast and so dry.
Taking hours to get anywhere, and everything struggling through just waiting for the wet..
The murders felt like a lot of waiting too... I didnt put a single clue in the right place to get the answer.
It's a strange place with unusual people, and I felt like the slow burn would never end.
Two fab main characters, that were believable.
The "reveal" felt a bit lengthy for my liking, but at least I'm not left with any lingering questions!