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rh747's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
just_wants_to_read's review against another edition
4.0
Jesse Redpath isn’t from Canticle Creek. She’s a police officer stationed in the Northern Territory but she’s come to Canticle Creek to find out what happened to Adam Lawson whose wrecked car was found not far from the body of Daisy Baker. The whole town assumes that Adam killed her but Jesse doesn’t believe that Adam would have committed murder.
Adrian Hyland has so beautifully written about Australia and its many landscapes. The story is filled with suspense and a long list of characters who could have been involved. I really had no idea how it was all going to tie together. I hope in the future that Jesse will make another appearance, she was a great lead character.
Another fantastic Australian novel.
Adrian Hyland has so beautifully written about Australia and its many landscapes. The story is filled with suspense and a long list of characters who could have been involved. I really had no idea how it was all going to tie together. I hope in the future that Jesse will make another appearance, she was a great lead character.
Another fantastic Australian novel.
fasmina's review against another edition
5.0
Adam has been at the wrong end of law several times but is he capable of murder?
Jesse Redpath is a cop from the Territory. 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. A week later, Adam runs away and Jesse doesn’t think about him again except to send a warrant.
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. 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.
With her father, Jesse visits Canticle Creek to understand, and unravels many other mysteries and knots of a typical small community. Whether Jesse survives the hardships she faced and solves the mystery makes the plot of the book.
I loved the writing style. Having a lone female protagonist, strong and good-hearted with no romantic subplot made this a marvellous read. There were so many social messages and I loved how the author focused the whole point on a single factor (which I can’t give out because of spoilers but you’ll know when you know!). Art, nature, bushfires and mountains made a beautiful package of entertainment.
The witty, funny and descriptive nature of the storyline was interesting and gave way to a good imagination. I loved the characters and how the author focused more on female protagonists. Although Daisy was already dead, author makes us fall in love with a character who doesn’t even make an appearance except in prologue and in memories.
The only reason why it couldn’t get a 5 star is the presence of too many characters. It was a bit hard to remember the names and their backgrounds. It is possible that the author wanted use the opportunity to bring some social messages and to indicate that the community is small and close-knitted. But to me, it was a bit hard to keep up. It might have been just me who was a bit distracted when I read the book too.
But this one is a definite must-read.
Jesse Redpath is a cop from the Territory. 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. A week later, Adam runs away and Jesse doesn’t think about him again except to send a warrant.
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. 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.
With her father, Jesse visits Canticle Creek to understand, and unravels many other mysteries and knots of a typical small community. Whether Jesse survives the hardships she faced and solves the mystery makes the plot of the book.
I loved the writing style. Having a lone female protagonist, strong and good-hearted with no romantic subplot made this a marvellous read. There were so many social messages and I loved how the author focused the whole point on a single factor (which I can’t give out because of spoilers but you’ll know when you know!). Art, nature, bushfires and mountains made a beautiful package of entertainment.
The witty, funny and descriptive nature of the storyline was interesting and gave way to a good imagination. I loved the characters and how the author focused more on female protagonists. Although Daisy was already dead, author makes us fall in love with a character who doesn’t even make an appearance except in prologue and in memories.
The only reason why it couldn’t get a 5 star is the presence of too many characters. It was a bit hard to remember the names and their backgrounds. It is possible that the author wanted use the opportunity to bring some social messages and to indicate that the community is small and close-knitted. But to me, it was a bit hard to keep up. It might have been just me who was a bit distracted when I read the book too.
But this one is a definite must-read.
mandylovestoread's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
andshe_reads's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a gripping Murder Mystery!! I've not read anything from this author before but I can safely say I will be seeking more of his books in the future.
The characters were all fantastic. Jesse was a superb protagonist, she's a great police officer. I especially loved Possum - I loved her curiosity about everything and her intelligence. Hylands Characters have depth to them and a real air of being authentic people.
I appreciated the writing style, especially how descriptive the book was it was really easy to set the scene in my own head.
Overall just a really good story that I thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for a copy in exchange for a review.
The characters were all fantastic. Jesse was a superb protagonist, she's a great police officer. I especially loved Possum - I loved her curiosity about everything and her intelligence. Hylands Characters have depth to them and a real air of being authentic people.
I appreciated the writing style, especially how descriptive the book was it was really easy to set the scene in my own head.
Overall just a really good story that I thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for a copy in exchange for a review.
mppilk's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
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.
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.
elyssajohnson6's review against another edition
Just wasn’t grabbing me and I need to get out of a slump
lisas_bookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
elliecleland5's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0