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pandaintheshelves 's review for:
Boney Creek
by Paula Gleeson
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Boney Creek is a whodunnit slow-burn thriller, layered like a parfait —yes, I know the popular choice is onions, but onions stink and parfaits are delicious— set in outback Australia.
This book is the embodiment of "small town, big hell". Nothing is what it seems. Everyone has a shadow. You can't trust anyone here! 😅 Loved the realism of that approach and the implicit commentary on how communities choose what to see… and what they refuse to.
Our main character, Addie, is strong, determined, but equally flawed. She’s a journalist (well, in heart and intention) with stubbornness issues, a self centered streak and a tendency to charge headfirst into morally gray zones. I don't know about you, but I love this kind of character: deliciously human, complex and imperfect. Sure, sometimes I wanted to shake her and tell her to get the head out of her belly button. I can't confirm or deny I yelled "for the love of everything that's good and right, open your eyes, girl!!!!" to the book 🤣. But that's part of her charm.
Back to the story, yes, it’s slow. Yes, it simmers. But that tension builds into something worth waiting for. The kind of payoff that made me gasp and immediately text a friend, “When you read it, we need to talk.” There were some loose ends and some unanswered questions, but those were minor bumps in the road.
Before Boney Creek I hadn't read a thriller in a while. But this was a great way to ease me back into the genre. If you're new to the thriller world and don't know where to start, or if like me you've been away from the genre for a while, consider giving this book a try.
Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC
This book is the embodiment of "small town, big hell". Nothing is what it seems. Everyone has a shadow. You can't trust anyone here! 😅 Loved the realism of that approach and the implicit commentary on how communities choose what to see… and what they refuse to.
Our main character, Addie, is strong, determined, but equally flawed. She’s a journalist (well, in heart and intention) with stubbornness issues, a self centered streak and a tendency to charge headfirst into morally gray zones. I don't know about you, but I love this kind of character: deliciously human, complex and imperfect. Sure, sometimes I wanted to shake her and tell her to get the head out of her belly button. I can't confirm or deny I yelled "for the love of everything that's good and right, open your eyes, girl!!!!" to the book 🤣. But that's part of her charm.
Back to the story, yes, it’s slow. Yes, it simmers. But that tension builds into something worth waiting for. The kind of payoff that made me gasp and immediately text a friend, “When you read it, we need to talk.” There were some loose ends and some unanswered questions, but those were minor bumps in the road.
Before Boney Creek I hadn't read a thriller in a while. But this was a great way to ease me back into the genre. If you're new to the thriller world and don't know where to start, or if like me you've been away from the genre for a while, consider giving this book a try.
Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC