Jesse Redpath is a young police officer stationed in the Northern Territory outback. Jesse takes an interest in a young offender and persuades a judge to commit the youth to the care of her artist father rather than jail. Things don’t go to plan and the youth, Adam, ends up killed in a car accident in Victoria not far from the body of a female whom he is accused of murdering. Jesse and her father travel to Victoria and discover a town full of secrets.

This is a very good mystery with surprises and plot twists along the way. Certainly a page turner and wonderfully atmospheric. You can almost feel the heat coming off the pages. This is a light read, won’t stretch the brain cells too much and I don’t think will stay with you for long.

My biggest problem with the book was the number of characters, way too many and very difficult at times to keep track of them. Several of them totally superfluous to the story. Without giving away any plot lines I also found some of the situations quite unrealistic. The plot needed them but they stretched likelihood a little too far.

An enjoyable read just don’t expect anything too profound. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for this review.

Slightly disappointed with this book. I found the storyline slow and I couldn’t click with the characters. Had something more exciting happened at the beginning, I may have enjoyed it but it sadly wasn’t for me.

This book delivers a real sense of place and you can feel the soaring temperatures infuse all the writing. Adam Lawson’s car wreck with him inside is found less than a mile from his girlfriend Daisy’s body. Jesse Redpath is an out of town cop and she knows Adam. Her instincts are that things aren’t as simple as the townsfolk are making out and she’s prepared to ask awkward questions to get to the truth.

A twisty fast paced thriller with a smart main character who wants to get to the truth.

I liked the sound of this book by Adrian Hyland as I thought it sounded interesting. It did take me a couple of chapters to get into it and then the main characters seemed to click. This was an enjoyable read and I thank NetGalley for letting me read it.

Jess, a leading policeman in The Territories ,hears that a young man,Adam, that she had previously arrested and later tried to help by finding him work at a roadhouse and lodgings with her father ,has been found dead after a vehicle accident in another area. He has also been named as the main suspect in the murder of a girl,Daisy, who he had been in a relationship with.Jess does not believe that Adam could be involved in murder so travels,along with her father an artist who had been invited to an exhibition nearby ,to The area where he was found,and starts to investigate, the local police think it is all cut and dried so do not appreciate her interference in their work.Jess and her father are invited to stay by a fellow artist at their home, The Bluehouse , and her father starts painting whilst Jess starts checking out relevant sites in the area , she makes friends with the teenage daughter of the house, who is a keen horse rider,who becomes dragged into the investigation as things unfold.There are raging bush fires at the time which hampers some areas and endangers them all. The suspicion falls on a group of loggers who had been beset by opposition from Green protestors as they tried to expand their operations.All is not as it seems and eventually as the Blue house is surrounded by flames there is a showdown and the truth comes out.

A nice little murder mystery set in rural Australia. I enjoyed the small town dynamics and the descriptions of the setting were strong enough to give me a real sense of place.

The mystery itself is well set up and we care for the characters. However, I did find some of the possible suspects rather two dimensional and would have liked much more depth. The same was true of the main character. She's a hard hitting woman sheriff in a male dominated environment and I loved the way she stood her own and went out on a limb investigating a crime outside her own jurisdiction (with a grumpy father in tow!). She was a character i wanted to know so much more about but I was left with only seeing the outside of her and her drastic and sometimes clever actions, rather than getting to know her from the inside out.
Still, the story easy, entertaining and atmospheric. Recommended for a light read.

I have never been to Australia but the beautiful writing was so evocative I felt like I was there. The harsh conditions, the outback, the searing heat makes for a great background for a great thriller. Lots of authentic characters and a good storyline.

This is a mystery thriller set in Australia and it works very well. I particularly liked the descriptive nature of the, er, nature of the regions and the indigenous people. The story licks along with some great characters although, being British, I could have used a glossary for some of the Australian terms. Nevertheless, this book is a good, interesting read that also informs.

Thanks to Ultimo Press and NetGalley for ARC.

Rural Northern Territory police officer Jessie Redpath takes a punt on troubled young Adam Lawson, finding him a job with her father. When he disappears, it seems no one else in the small town is surprised. When Jesse next hears about him, he's not only dead, but chief suspect in a murder. Jesse and her dad decide this doesn't add up and travel south to the rural Victorian area he was last seen, looking for clues. The heat, paranoia and the claustrophobia ramp up - they aren't welcomed with open arms and the locals all have secrets.
This is a skilful Outback Noir thriller, with brilliant evocations of the landscape's smells, sounds and blistering heat that you can taste. The final chapters are incredible. I had not read Hyland's previous books but will be seeking them out.

Unfortunately I didn't finish this book. For me the pace was too slow. I wasn't keen on the narrative first person in this context either. These points aren't to be rude towards the author. I can see others have enjoyed this book. I hope it does well. It just wasn't for me

My first book by this author. When Jesse persuades a judge to give Adam a chance she feels she is making a difference. When he is discovered dead she is determined to find out what has happened. A book of suspense. Would definitely try this author again.

Slow paced with far too many characters for me, setting moved too quickly which also took a bit of getting used to. Thank you netgalley for the advance copy

Well-written and defined characters although there are a lot of them. Descriptions of the harsh countryside fabulous and terrifying, especially the bush fires across the last few chapters. Police officer Jesse heads to another small outback town with her father to follow up the murder of a young woman people and the death of her supposed murderer. We have logging consortia, horrendous land development, small town attitudes, abuse and charisma. Quite twisted in fact. The scenes of Jesse coming to understand the land a bit more through her living near to First Nation people in her town is beautifully done. My one sort of gripe is that I don't understand how she can interfere so much in detecting in another jurisdiction with no formal introduction. It' perhaps why she's not universally welcomed. But then, it's "down under" so they probably do things differently. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

I found "Canticle Creek" really wonderful. I new nothing about the author or about the book and it hasn't impacted my experience. I am really enjoying the quality of Australian fiction that has been published in the last few years.

DNF @ 31%

I love an Australian small town setting, and that is what sold me on this book. The author set the scene of the unforgiving landscape brilliantly. The vastness, the isolation, the knowledge nobody will ever hear you scream out here; the idea that if something happens to you, you may never be found ... those ideas really came to the fore in the descriptions.

Unfortunately, the author lost me with the story. I was a bit disappointed to leave the original town so quickly for another one. I found it a little "out there" that our main character would just go and try to interfere in an investigation that had nothing to do with her, even if she had known Adam. I found it even stranger that she would take her dad, who had absolutely nothing to do with police enforcement.

But my real struggle came with the abundance of characters and being utterly unable to keep them apart. I lost track of who was who, what their function was, or their place in the story. Everything became rather muddled in my head and it was sadly affecting my reading enjoyment.

I do not like not finishing a book, and I apologise wholeheartedly for doing so with Canticle Creek.

What a page turner!
I really enjoyed this book and once I started it I couldn’t put it down.
The descriptions of the Australian outback literally painted a picture. The characters are well written and the twists and turns keep you on your toes.
I’d definitely recommend Canticle Creek and will be looking for more Adrian Hyland books.
#CanticleCreek #NetGallery

I’ve never been to Australia but the author paints such a vivid picture of the country that feel as though I know part of it now.
The characters were equally well drawn and overall the book showcases the writer’s talents. Top that with an intriguing storyline and the heat of an Australian summer and you have a worthy read.

What a gripping ride this book is! Set in the Australian outback of the Northern Territory and in the nether reaches of country Victoria, it’s a roller coaster from start to finish. Jesse Redpath,, Senior Police Constable sets out to find the truth behind the murder of a young man and his girlfriend. Local police believe it’s an open and shut case of the young man killing the woman then coming to grief himself. Jesse has her doubts based on knowing the young fella and believes he couldn’t have done what he is accused of. The author’s descriptions of the arid,, drought-stricken back woods of Australia are startling and true, and the conversation in the book full of wonderfully Australian slang words - maybe a bit tricky for non Aussies to understand, but clear in their meaning nonetheless. The story is full of drama, vivid descriptions of place, good guys and bad guys and a few surprises too - plenty of pacing and momentum and a book to take the reader to another place, unless you happen to know the Australian outback, which I do, and the book took me right there!

Despite the fact that the book was clearly well written and researched, I struggled with it. I found it hard to warm to any of the characters and the pace of everything was too slow for me.

Canticle Creek was a wonderful read. I felt like I was lost in the story and the settings. I loved the eclectic mix of characters and the humour in their banter. The last few pages really gave me goosebumps. A beautifully written book and my favourite so far this year.