Adrian Hyland

Adrian Hyland is one of my favorite authors, and this second appearance by Jesse Redpath makes me wish all over again that this talented Australian would write faster, faster, faster.

Redpath is in new territory and discovers a murder disguised to look as an accident. She also is determined to help Nash Rankin, a former police officer.

I always enjoy Hyland's mysteries and characters, but even more, I love the way he uses landscape and wildlife to make Australia come alive for me. (Did you show more know Australians call eucalyptus trees "widow makers"? Neither did I!) show less

Adrian Hyland's Kinglake-350 is the riveting account of Black Saturday, February 7, 2009-- the day the most devastating wildfire in the country's history swept through "the great fire triangle of south-eastern Australia... the most fire-prone location on Earth."

Hyland is a master craftsman who knows how to tell a tale. I became a fan of his mysteries Moonlight Downs and Gunshot Road and soon learned to get my hands on anything he's written.

Hyland brings his considerable skill in fiction to show more Kinglake-350. I am no stranger to the subject of this book. Arizona has had more than its share of devastating wildfires, but I couldn't believe the sheer amount of information in the pages of this book. (And they weren't presented as dry, yawn-inducing facts.) Caught in your house during a wildfire? Don't shelter in the bathroom. Dirt can, and does, catch fire. Yes, there is such a thing as black rain. Hyland also goes into climate change, global warming, weather patterns, and government agencies trying to shift blame. I can see your eyes start to glaze over with those last topics, but this man weaves all that into the narrative in such a way that my interest never flagged.

However, the backbone and the towering strength of Kinglake-350 lies in the people that devastating fire touched. There were many heroes that day; Acting Sergeant Roger Wood was only one of them. I think one of the vignettes that I remember best was the woman who, trying to keep the fire from destroying buildings, took pity on a shocked and staggering kangaroo, giving it a cooling shower with her hose. It's these personal details that made my heart beat faster. That made me try to turn the pages as fast as the fire was consuming everything in its path.

Kinglake-350 is absolutely marvelous, and one of the best books I've read this year. Adrian Hyland has done it again. show less

Those of us looking for another great crime author to fill the void in between Peter Temple releases, may call off the dogs. Adrian Hyland writes a beautiful, hillarious and compelling story. Emily Temple is the perfect heroine - smart as a whip, witty, caring and impatient with small town stupidity and predjudices. In the past Australian authors have done central Australia a diservice. While facusing (understandbly) on the injustice and racism prevalent in outback communities, they have show more produced bleak narratives devoid of the humour, kinship and beauty also endemic to the area. Hyland has avoided this trap. Diamond Dove is a readable, surprising and thrilling mystery. Refreshing and worth every penny. show less

What at first looks like a tragic car accident on a notorious stretch of road in the hills of the Windmark Ranges resulting in the death of Acting Sergeant Jesse Redpath’s colleague, soon proves to be murder in The Redline, the third compulsive instalment of Adrian Hyland’s crime fiction series.

There’s tension as Jesse, an intuitive and dogged investigator, tries to piece together what really happened to Lance. Determined to follow every lead, even from the tale-telling local roadhouse show more owner, she finds herself facing down a menacing poacher, hunting a ‘wild boy’ with the unlikely name of Anarchy, and following the trail of three people who vanished in the Ranges. The story is deftly plotted with Hyland weaving together multiple threads that exposes murder and corruption, and culminates in thrilling confrontations.

The writing is as polished and engaging as I expect from Hyland. The dialogue has a familiar rhythm and humour that marks it as distinctly Australian. The setting is effortlessly atmospheric, the dense bush hides a multitude of sins, both past and present.

A gripping mystery that builds on its predecessors, Canticle Creek, and The Wiregrass, but can be read as a stand alone, The Redline is a great read. show less