"Thriller" is a genre that promises to keep readers on the edge of their seats, and this definitely delivers. From the very first page, the tension is palpable, and the plot twists and turns in unexpected ways, making it difficult to put the book down. The characters are well-developed and the author does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing as to who can be trusted and who is hiding something. The pacing is spot-on, with just the right amount of action and suspense to keep the reader engaged. The writing style is gripping and evocative, making it easy to visualise the scenes and feel the emotions of the characters. The author's attention to detail and ability to create a believable world adds to the overall experience of the book. Overall, this is an excellent example of the thriller genre. It's a page-turner that will keep readers guessing until the very end and is sure to satisfy fans of the genre. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a good suspenseful read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Two bodies. One long hot summer. A town that will never be the same.
When Adam Lawson’s wrecked car is found a kilometre from Daisy Baker’s body, the whole town assumes it’s an open and shut case. But Jesse Redpath isn’t from Canticle Creek. Where she comes from, the truth often hides in plain sight, but only if you know where to look.
When Jesse starts to ask awkward questions, she uncovers a town full of contradictions and a cast of characters with dark pasts, secrets to hide and even more to lose.
As the temperature soars, and the ground bakes, the wilderness surrounding Canticle Creek becomes a powderkeg waiting to explode.
All it needs is one spark.

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

A fast paced, atmospheric Australian thriller set in the outback. Well written characters, beautiful descriptions of the shifting landscape. The story kept me hooked til the end. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I have mixed feelings about this book and really struggled with the Australian jargon. It was very well researched and written but I did find it quite slow-paced. It was an OK read, but for some reason I couldn’t warm to any of the characters and I didn’t find the plot particularly thrilling. Not a book that I could wholly recommend, but thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read it.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I shall defiantly be looking out for more. The story set in the Australian outback, Daisy Baker is found dead and her murderer is killed in a car crash open and shut case?? Jesse Redpath a police woman from a different area doesn’t think all is as it seems so decides to investigate on her own time. This is a wonderfully written very atmospheric crime thriller.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Canticle Creek in return for my honest review.

Easy to read and very enjoyable. I whizzed through this as I just clicked with it straight away.

Thank you to the writer, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

The heat and dust rise out of the pages of this book with every page turn and you can almost smell the Eucalyptus as it is described in the landscape.
The tenacity of Jesse to find the truth about the death of Daisy, firm as she is in her belief that the accused man would not do such a thing, is intense as she travels to Canticle creek to try to find the truth.
With some fantastically described artists and artwork and a host of supporting characters that lend colour and drama to the landscape it is impossible to know who to trust from a host of unlikeable locals!

This is a faced paced thriller told from the perspective of Jesse, a police officer, who finds herself tested to the limit when she becomes involved in a case outside of her area. Her tracking skills, honed by learning from her colleague in the remote outback, helps her look to at the murders from a different perspective, but this leads her into danger herself. It will keep you enthralled until the end.

A harsh landscape, terrible things happening, small town politics....this is a tense read. Well written and with a good story. Worth a read.

I have just finished reading this book,it was a little different from the fiction I usually read but thoroughly enjoyed it.
The depth of description about both the deserts and the farmlands of Australia, the flora, fauna and wildlife is well worth reading. Plus those regarding the Native Australian people are written in a truly warm way.
Yes it's a great crime thriller that twists and turns throughout but it's also a book about art. You will certainly appreciate the amount of time that has been spent by the author researching this book.

An excellent piece of Aussie noir, with a murder mystery set in a small rural community and peppered with a set of intriguing, compelling characters.

The author sets the scene really well and the entire read was thoroughly enjoyable. I liked the dynamics between the people and the main protagonist is great

Written in an addictive style with a great sense of place I thought this was excellent.

Jesse Redpath is a police officer in Northern Territory. When a likeable petty criminal, whom Jesse previously vouched for, is implicated in a murder in Victoria, Jesse goes there to carry out her own unofficial investigation. She’s not the only one with doubts about the boy’s guilt. Local horse-mad teenager, Possum, is keen to help Jesse with her enquiries while former drug-addict, Nadia, doesn’t want to help at all.
The writing is breezy, with humour and action throughout. Jesse Redpath is up there with Jane Harper’s Aaron Falk and Chris Hammer’s Martin Scarsden as a sleuth who gets down and dirty with the harshest natural environments of Australia, and with some of the meanest human inhabitants.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

A good story with unusual characters. Set in the out back during a very dry spell,lots of twists and turns.

Really well written and a great story

*What’s it about?*

When Jess keeps Adam out of juvenile prison, she hopes it will give him a second chance and give him the opportunity to fulfill his artistic challenge.

A year later she hears he’s killed a woman and then died while escaping.

This doesn’t sound like the Adam she knows but the evidence is compelling. She goes to the city to find out what really happened

*What did I think?*

This was excellent. The plot was well worked and you are gradually exposed to everything going on. This was one of the best books I’ve read for a while

After I settled in to the very Australian text which contains slang words that I had to look up - I really enjoyed this book. It evoked the heat and the dust of the outback and made it clear that it was a completely different environment. I found that as I worked through the story I was able to identify with the main characters and was hoping for their success.
The detective story works to solve the murders but eventually I felt that the outback won!
I enjoyed the changes through the action and the reflection as the story developed.

To label this wonderful book (the first I have read by Adrian Hyland) as a murder mystery goes nowhere near to doing it justice as it is so much more than that. Yes, it has the vivid depictions of the main characters, the tight and complex plotting and the narrative twists and turns that all good murder mysteries demand; but there is also a lyrical beauty about the author’s descriptions of the topography, the flora and fauna, the light and the very atmosphere of the Australian outback town and its surroundings in which the book is set. I loved the use of the outback argot (is there any word that can’t be abbreviated?) as it added to what appeared to this non-Australian to be an authentic evocation of small town, rural Australia. I strongly recommend this book and this author.

First book that I can remember based in Australia that I have read. Ok, some of the Australian language is difficult to get around until you get used to it .
This murder thriller has the heroine as Jesse Redpath an Australian Police Officer based in the Territories at Kuluara . A young man , Adam Lawson is taken under her wing after being served with a Community Order then he befriends Jesse's father having a shared skill in painting and art.
The next we hear is that Adam has murdered his girlfriend and killed himself in a car crash escaping the scene.,just North of Melbourne.
This certainly doesn't sound right to Jesse, so along with her father, takes times off and tries to understand what has happened in staying at the small town where all this has happened. Her investigations are received in hostilities by the locals and her very life comes under threat.

A very enjoyable read with many a twist to keep you guessing.

A young woman's body is found, and on the same day the burnt out car containing the body of her boyfriend, Adam, a troubled lad known to experiment with drugs is found after he drove off the road. Everyone assumes, and the evidence points, to Adam killing Daisy then panicking to make his escape. But Jesse Redpath, a police officer, isn't so sure - she supported Adam, kept him out of prison and can't believe he would do this crime.

So she leaves the Territories for Melbourne on a period of leave to investigate. Trying to find out why Daisy was killed, and by whom, brings danger to Jesse and all who are trying to help her. The final scenes where the rogue fires are threatening to engulf both evidence and investigators was just amazing.

Its a fantastic read, bringing to life modern Australia in vivid colours. I thoroughly enjoyed it and really hope the author has more in store for Jesse!

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

"Canticle Creek" is a really enjoyable crime thriller set in Australia during a prolonged drought. It starts in the red centre but then moves to Victoria, about an hour out of Melbourne. Jesse Redpath is a wonderful heroine who is strong and resourceful. She makes use of every skill she has, including the Thai kick-boxing she uses to keep fit and let off steam, and the tracking skills learnt from an Aboriginal colleague, to solve her cases. In fact, the strongest characters in this novel are all women.

The descriptions of the people and the countryside are so vivid that you can see them, and the heat sizzles off the pages. Will there be more adventures for Jesse Redpath? Let's hope so.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

This book is set in Australia and is very different from anything I have read before! I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Jesse, a cop from the Northern Territories, is a really strong and likeable female lead. She learns that Adam, a lad she had helped in the NT, had been killed in a car accident in a town near Victoria. Not far from that accident was the dead body of the girl he had gone there with. The local cops and community automatically assume Adam has killed her and died whilst fleeing, but that doesn't sit right with Jesse.

Her and her Dad set off to Canticle Creek to see if the evidence really does stack up or if there is more to it.

Jesse soon uncovers multiple shady characters, lots of secrets, and a cobweb of lies and deceit.

What I loved about this book most was its slow, 'stop and smell the roses' pace. The descriptions of the wildlife, the plants, the area, and the general surroundings were rich and beautiful. You could feel the danger of the scorched earth and mounting winds, knowing that just one spark could mean uncontrollable wildfires. You were taken on a journey, not just of the story itself, but of where it takes place. You can imagine yourself right there, breathing in the smells, sights, and sounds.

This book was both atmospheric and an intriguing 'whodunit'. I highly recommend giving this a read!

xx