Canticle Creek

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To the Victorian cops it is a clean case but to Jesse, who knew Adam well, it wasn’t as closed as it sounded and she had many questions, including whether Adam can become a killer. She’s convinced Adam would never have murdered Daisy, the woman he loved and after meeting a few of the locals, is convinced there is something very wrong in the town.

A gripping crime thriller, set in the sulty, dry heat of the Australian summer, with relatable characters and a brilliant plot. I thought the mystery was quite original, and I loved most of the characters, especially Jesse and Possum. As it is again with Jesse Redpath, and her belief in a young man who deserved better than the dismissive assumptions of those that didn't know him, didn't try to understand him, and were more than happy to use him as a convenient scapegoat, and a young woman whose death deserved a lot more than the cursory investigation undertaken. However, Jess Redpath – not a local to Canticle Creek – knows Adam and she does not believe him capable of murder.From The Stoning by Peter Papathanasiou to novels by Garry Disher and Chris Hammer – there’s a lot of Australian crime fiction to choose from.

The book is set in a small town in the outbacks of Australia, Jesse is a police officer trying to do good and bring compassion to the job. The main characters were all realistic and easy to like and the villains were all suitably convincing – particularly the main perpetrator who really had me fooled with his artful misdirection! I very much hope that Canticle Creek is the first book in a new series so I can watch Jesse’s character grow and perhaps get to see a little more of Danny too. With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review. Adam had hitched a ride to Victoria with a girl he’d recently met and was now being accused of her murder, then after stealing her car, he lost control of it on a nearby country road and crashed killing himself outright.

Mark Sanderson, The Times'An atmospheric gripper' - Crime Monthly'A gritty, inventive slice of Outback noir' - Paul Burke, Crime Fiction Lover'had me. 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. They invite Ben and Jesse to visit the Bluehouse, their home, if they’re ever in the Canticle Creek area.

The loving description of the countryside and landscape was lyrical and I now feel that I know what a terrifying experience it would be to be trapped in the path of a bushfire. 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. It takes a little while to set the story up but it’s done well as the characters are interesting and there’s no obvious hints at which way the story will go.When at home in the Northern Territory of Kulara, Redpath works with Danny Jakamarra, an Aboriginal Community Police Officer. Although we didn’t see very much of Danny, I did enjoy the mutual respect the two officers had for one another. Three months later, Jesse hears about Adam’s death, from a car wreck after killing his own girlfriend Daisy in Canticle Creek, a small town near Melbourne. Every single Indigenous character he brings to the page is beautifully executed, and his respect and love of the people and their interactions with country and each other has always been spot on. The cover (such a stunning cover, I’d have it as a print on my wall), the storyline, the characters – particularly Jesse and Possum, the art, the nature, the respect it shows to the First Nations people of Central Australia; this really is a terrific novel, one that I can highly recommend.