“As he rode away the blowflies were already starting to circle.”

Reading this book, I was so intrigued by the two central stories. The holes in the evidence of a present day murder-suicide and the questionable suicide of a young girl 20 years earlier. Harper is a great writer and her background in journalism allowed her to develop a well rounded story that gives and takes at the right moments.

I loved the small town dynamic and the ripple effects of rumours and lies. The characters were well rounded (none of them were bland or unnecessary page fillers) and every one of them played a role in the small dying town of Kiewarra. The effects of the drought on a small farming community were devastating. I really enjoyed how Harper reflected the drought in the personalities and actions of different characters and the overall tone of a dying town. The weather was essentially a focal character in itself, with the effects of the heat uncovering emotions and resentment buried over the years. This was a great debut novel by a promising Australian author.

“His own naivety taunted him like a flicker of madness.”
– Zena, QBD Northland