A returned criminal, a cult-like family and cybercrime all clash against the backdrop of the Flinders Ranges in this thrilling new rural suspense novel from the best-selling author of Voice of the Outback.
Emma Cameron, a recently divorced farmer and a local in Barker, runs Deception Creek, the farm that three generations of her family have owned before her. Every day Emma pushes herself hard on the land, hoping to make ten-year-old memories of a terrible car accident disappear. And now there are more recent nightmares of an ex-husband who refuses to understand how much the farm means to Emma.
When Joel Hammond is released from jail and heads home to Barker, Detective Dave Burrows and Senior Constable Jack Higgins are on high alert. Joel has a long and sorry history with many of the townsfolk and they are not keen to see him home to stay.
Not all of the Barker locals want to see Joel run out of town, though. Some even harbour doubts about Joel’s conviction. The town finds itself split down the middle; families pitted against each other with devastating outcomes.
Fleur McDonald is a beloved, bestselling Australian author who’s written a slew of bestsellers set in rural Australia. She’s also prolific, which her readers greatly appreciate. It was only two months ago that she released The Shearer’s Wife, and only six months before that, her bestseller Something To Hide. Now, McDonald is back with Deception Creek, the latest instalment in her thrilling Dave Burrows series.
Like her previous works, the rural setting plays a big part in Deception Creek, and McDonald vividly brings the small town of Barker to life. Yet there’s more to this community than meets the eye, with a dark, grisly underbelly hidden beneath the town’s surface. And this would hardly be a small town crime novel if there weren’t some conflict between the locals. And McDonald dishes that up in spades. Each of the characters has their own history, and it was entertaining to see all the threads connect together with some explosive confrontations.
If you’re looking for a gripping rural crime thriller, look no further. Deception Creek is an excellent addition to the Dave Burrows series and the perfect gift for the upcoming Christmas season.
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