Canticle Creek

Product Information

Hyland achieved further recognition for his non-fiction account of the 2009 Victorian bushfires with his 2011 book Kinglake-350. Jesse is from the Northern Territory but in essence is still an outsider, as she learns about becoming as one with the landscape from indigenous officer Danny Jakamarra. They meet the son, Nick, and his girlfriend, Nadia, who is unnerved when she is told Jesse is a cop. I enjoyed the small town dynamics and the descriptions of the setting were strong enough to give me a real sense of place.

Canticle Creek by Adrian Hyland | Waterstones

There’s former Aussie Rules footballers, rough loggers, and part-timer firemen a close-knit community, but one that doesn’t always get along. Hyland has mastered the architecture of noir – his sinister tale seethes with small-town atmosphere and satisfying twists, set against the dangers and harsh beauty of the Australian landscape. Neither of them can believe that Adam would kill his girlfriend Daisy, and everything about the case, including his car leaving the road when he was supposedly attempting to flee with scene, makes any sense. Though the case was pretty much closed, Jesse started doing some digging of her own and soon started to ruffle a few feathers with her snooping. She helps a young Adam when he does something illegal by offering him a second chance; helping her dad and working in the local roadhouse.Nadia wants to change her life; Sam suddenly broadens his artistic horizons so late in life and Dom wants to redevelop the area to boost the local economy. I did enjoy this story very much, though I think at times the author got a bit carried away with technical jargon and “big word dropping” which I had no trouble understanding, but felt it was a bit unnecessary and over the top at times. With a beautiful, atmospheric cover, this all added up to an engaging murder mystery and what I hope is the start of a new series featuring Jesse Redpath.

Canticle Creek, Adrian Hyland | AustCrimeFiction Canticle Creek, Adrian Hyland | AustCrimeFiction

Jesse Redpath works for NT Police, posted as Leading Senior Constable in the remote, 2-person station at Kulara. It’s not long before Jesse finds some inconsistencies in the case that seem to back her appraisal of Adam as innocent. 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. In terms of setting, Hyland draws on his experiences as a firefighter to provide the reader with a full-bodied overview of the harsh environment featured in Canticle Creek. Organising some time off, Jesse travels to Victoria with her dad to satisfy herself that justice has been done for Adam.There were parts of the book that I enjoyed, but then there were others I found quite a struggle and overall I was disappointed.

Canticle Creek by Adrian Hyland | Crime Fiction Lover

At times I did fall into the trap of confusing some of the protagonists, which did hamper my overall response to this one. The final scenes where the rogue fires are threatening to engulf both evidence and investigators was just amazing. Territorian Constable Jesse Redpath knew Adam from up north and doesn’t believe him capable of such a crime.Brute strength is not always the answer, sometimes you need to listen to the message and act upon it before time ultimately runs out. When he moved from Brisbane to Sydney in his late teens and discovered the drag-queen scene, he found a way to control the narrative of his life. When Jesse hears that Adam is dead and allegedly killed a woman, she and her dad head to Canticle Creek to find out more because they knew Adam and can't believe that he would commit murder.