This is the first story that I have read by Adrian Hyland but I hope that it won't be the last.
Jesse Redpath had earned a law degree but decided to join the police force in the small town of Kerula in the North Territory, it was here where she kept up her fitness levels and honed her skills, she learned to track and read the earth and her surroundings, her success rate was excellent.
Adam Lawson was a loveable rogue, he left his graffiti everywhere but Jesse could see potential in his graffiti, when he came up before the magistrate, Jesse persuaded the magistrate to allow Adam to live with her father and work at a local bar, this worked well, her artist father could see Adam's talent and nurtured it.
It was a bit of a shock to Jesse and Ben when Adam up and left, probably to follow a girl but they had always known that he was a free spirit.
Jesse and Ben were devastated when they heard that Adam was dead, he had murdered a young girl and smashed a stollen car killing himself in the process..............this wasn't the Adam that they knew so they set off for the small town of Canticle Creek a short distance from Melbourne to investigate.
Ben was a much sought after artist and as such they were welcomed into the home of Lucy, daughter of distinguished Japanese artist Kenji Takada, her husband Sam, and their sixteen year old, wise beyond her years daughter, Possum.
This story follows Jessie questioning the local police's conclusion and persuading them, with her assistance , to investigate further. Things got very fraught, the heat was getting to everyone, fire a constant danger, the fear was almost palpable. As more and more suspects were uncovered and more and more reasons for the murders, things became dangerous, Jesse was to need all her skills.
I really like this author's descriptive powers, I could almost feel the heat and smell the fire, I loved the main characters, I loved the friendship between Jessie and feisty Possum and I loved learning more about the indigenous people of Australia.

Hmmm, the description made me keen to read this book, but I simply could not get into it at all. I found all the Australian lingo just too tricky to wade through, and I ended up abandoning it halfway through. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review of the book.

Unfortunately being a reader from the UK, I found myself getting irritated by all the local language i did not understand . I appreciate it’s a book based in Australia but I think this could have been toned down whilst keeping it realistic. It’s a shame as what I read I was intrigued and got a real sense of pace and characters.

I had high hopes after reading the synopsis for this book and was really looking forward to reading it. Sadly, I found the story very slow and couldn't identify with the characters at all. As a result, despite several attempts I eventually gave up and didn't finish the book.

Sadly the book did not engage me. I found the Australian jargon difficult to follow and the story was slow. Not one for me and I skip read to the end.

Set in Australia, this book is a murder mystery - several, in fact. It's a beautiful book in many ways, but also brutal - the brutality of man and of the land. There's the beauty of art, there's the harsh countryside, ready to blaze it's so dry, and there's lots of suspicion. I found it brilliant and look forward to more from this author.

This is a dramatic novel. The backdrop of the outback in the state of Victoria not far (although everywhere in Australia is far) from Melbourne is used to advantage. Jesse Redpath is fond of a young man called Adam who leaves the area where she is a police woman and ends up dead having apparently murdered a woman called Daisy. Jesse doesn’t believe he is capable of this so travels with her father to interfere in this other police business. They give her latitude to review their case and, of course, she is proved to be right. The story keeps looking as if it is a dead end then opens up again. The ending is very satisfying. The author portrays rough rural Australia very well and uses it to advantage. I loved reading this and recommend it without reservation.

Jesse Redpath is the police officer in charge at Kulara, in the Australian Territories. A feisty, no nonsense type of officer, she is well regarded in the area even though she is a woman and it’s definitely a man’s world out there. When local chap, Adam, gets into trouble yet again, she persuades the judge to let her place him in a job, rather than jail as she knows Adam is good at heart, just easily led. When Adam runs away ,and news get back to Kulara that he is dead, killed in a car accident after murdering his girlfriend, Jesse knows that he has been judged wrongly, so along with her father Ben, she goes to Canticle Creek, near Melbourne to unofficially investigate.

If you love Australia then this is for you. Beautifully descriptive of the flora and fauna of the area, the reader is transported. The description of the bush fire is excellent. This is an easy read book, but unless you are familiar with the Aussie jargon it can be quite a struggle. The plot meanders along at times and could do with speeding up a little, and the “baddie” is not really a surprise. However, it’s a quick easy read and enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley.

A very Australian novel about Australia ! Whilst I enjoyed the story I really struggled with the Australian jargon! The description of the bush fire at the end was brilliant. BTW A geordie is not from Scotland!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Ultimo Press for a review copy of Canticle Creek, a stand-alone set mostly in Victoria.

Adam Lawson is dead in a car crash not far from the murdered body of his girlfriend friend, Daisy Baker. Senior Constable Jesse Redpath of the Northern Territory Police knows Adam and is sure he isn’t a murderer, so she travels to Canticle Creek in Victoria to look into it. What she finds are secrets and evasions.

I thoroughly enjoyed Canticle Creek, which is a measured investigation of small town life with a few twists and turns along the way. It feels quite slow in terms of establishing a firm narrative in the investigation, but that’s only because there are so many threads for Jesse to pull. I found it beguiling in this respect and in the way the area was so well described, almost lyrically at some points.

The investigation is interesting. All Jesse knows when she starts is that she doesn’t think Adam is capable of murder and as this is in contrast to the local detective’s theory there is a bumping of heads. Jesse soon lines up several suspects, but finding proof of who did what and why is a more elusive task. I found myself glued to the pages as she gets into one predicament after another, culminating in an action packed finale that is probably the tensest part of the novel.

The novel is told from Jesse’s first person perspective, so the reader gets close to her thoughts on the investigation as she’s not one for introspection, in fact she’s more of a strike first, ask questions later kind of a gal, if in bother. That’s not to say she isn’t smart or intuitive because she is, she’s simply not familiar with subtlety. I liked spending time with her.

Canticle Creek is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Adrian Hyland's new novel transports the reader to the arid reaches of Australia's Northern Territory, and the oddballs who choose to make their home in the wilds of the Australian Outback.

Jesse Redpath is as far from the stereotype of the small-town cop as you can get, even if she is currently based in the Outback town of Kulara. Jesse's father Ben is an artist who moved there some years ago, so when she comes across a young man who appears to be heading in the wrong direction, Jesse decides to offer Adam a chance at redemption by persuading the judge to let him off a custodial sentence, instead allowing the youngster to live and work alongside her father.

Ben quickly becomes fond of Adam, and realises that he has considerable artistic talent (which is why Jesse came up with the idea of placing Adam with Ben in the first place). But that is not enough to keep the young man in Kulara, and he soon moves away, without warning, to be with a young woman named Daisy - also an artist - whom he is interested in.

But Adam's new life in Canticle Creek quickly falls apart, and he is found dead under peculiar circumstances. He is also suspected of having murdered Daisy, but for Jesse, this is too much of a stretch. Reckless and unreliable as Adam was, Jesse cannot believe that he would murder a woman, let alone someone he reportedly loved.

So, she and her father travel to Canticle Creek to investigate. What they find is a story that is far from straightforward, and a population in this remote hamlet that is definitely hiding something. Now, all she has to do is find out that is. But not everyone is inclined to cooperate with the visiting police officer, so Jesse will have her work cut out for her.

The book brings alive its surroundings, with the town of Canticle Creek almost appearing as a character in this story. Add to that a lively teenager named Possum, a motley cast of characters who have made Canticle Creek their home for any number of reasons, and Jesse's determination to find out the real story behind what happened to Adam and Daisy, and you have any explosive combination. This murder mystery promises a lot, and it does not disappoint in delivering on any of those promises.

This book has it all, its got great characters, it's in a fabulous setting, gripping story line and a fast pace read.

I wasn’t impressed with this story.
I don’t like bad language and this book is full of it.
F bombs and C bombs.
Also found most of it boring. I skimmed through a lot just to finish it.

Set in the small town of Kularu in Northern territories, Australia, this is an excellent read. I loved Jesse, Senior Constable, and the beautiful descriptive passages which transported me right to the burning outback. The pace is fast, there is plenty suspense and I loved the ending. A highly recommended read for lovers of Aussie crime fiction. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I loved the cover of the book with the Cockatoos. The author obviously likes birds too and gives great descriptions of them throughout the book which suits me as a birdwatcher. Not just birds but i felt the book gave me a good grounding in the nature of Australia.
Unfortunately being a reader in the UK, i felt a bit swamped by all the local language i did not understand . Watched plenty of Australian TV crime series but that did not prepare me at all.
The story of Jess the ballsy cop from the Territories travelling to Canticle Creek an hour's drive from Melbourne to semi officially investigate a murder believed to have been committed by one of her known small time offenders is rather far fetched at times especially towards the end of the book. Jess simply attracts trouble wherever she goes and deals with it. Like a female Dirty Harry . However it is fast paced with good plot twists that surprised me. Very dramatic finish with bush fires but again rather unbelievable.
Overall very easy reading and maybe i will look out for a similar book now that i have started to get to grips with the lingo.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Canticle Creek is a transportive book, straight to the Australian outback. This is an engaging mystery which starts at a slightly slow pace but soon picks up. This is a great mystery which is incredibly hooking, although it does drag at times the twists and turns will keep you going. Overall a great mystery and summer read.

Wow! A truly great thriller, atmospheric with a gripping storyline and characters you won't forget. Jesse Redpath is the officer in charge at Kulara in the Australian outback. When Daisy Baker is found dead, she visits the scene. The prime suspect is Danny, a local lad who was found dead beside her. Daisy was an artist who loved to sketch the local flora and fauna. When Jesse examines Daisy's studio, she is particularly struck by one of her final sketches of an unusual orchid. Could this be a clue? Once you start reading, you won't want to stop!

I love this one. A delightful book about atmospheric mystery that unfolds in a most deliberate and consuming way.

3.5 stars


Australian outback is like a whole different planet to me, and all the books I've read set there have been good.
Canticle Creek now joins that list.
It sets a decent pace throughout, but really goes full on for the ending.
Some classic characters, good country cop, bad locals, some I just couldn't decide on.
A few twists kept everything interesting.
A solidly paced good read.

This was my first novel by this author and I will definitely be looking out for more.

The novel is set in Australia and the author does a fantastic job of transporting you there through vivid descriptions of what is a beautiful country.

The story focuses on the death of Daisy Baker. Adam, a relative newcomer in town, is also found dead next to her body with Daisy's blood on his hands, and it doesn't take long for the local police to jump to conclusions.

However, local cop Jesse isn't convinced. She knew Adam, and whilst he was always getting involved in minor scrapes, she doesn't believe he would ever be involved in murder.

A really well written novel which you will devour in a couple of sittings.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ultimo Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review