Deception Creek in Aussie Readers

Nov 02, 2021 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2021-release, reviewing-by-request, romantic-suspense, 5000-2021, aussie-authors, sent-by-publisher, mystery, crime, arc, own-read

When Joel Hammond returned to Barker, to his hometown and the home his parents had left him when they died, he鈥檇 known it wouldn鈥檛 be easy. But he hadn鈥檛 expected the anger and hate directed at him by a prominent family in town. Joel had been convicted of fraud at his job in Adelaide and went to jail for five years, before adding another four years for assault while inside. He was a changed man, but he just wanted the past behind him.

Emma Cameron owned and ran Deception Creek, the property which ...more

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Nov 03, 2021 Helen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: review-copy-from-publisher

I love Fleur McDonald鈥檚 stories, I love Dave Burrows and I love visiting the small town of Barker where Dave is a detective, and this visit there is a lot happening all at the same time, Detective Dave Burrows and Senior Constable Jack Higgins are going to be kept on their toes this time around with the support of their partners Kim and Zara, clear the decks when you pick this one up because you are not going to want to put it down.

Joel Hammond has returned home to Barker after being released fr I love Fleur McDonald鈥檚 stories, I love Dave Burrows and I love visiting the small town of Barker where Dave is a detective, and this visit there is a lot happening all at the same time, Detective Dave Burrows and Senior Constable Jack Higgins are going to be kept on their toes this time around with the support of their partners Kim and Zara, clear the decks when you pick this one up because you are not going to want to put it down.

Joel Hammond has returned home to Barker after being released from Jail a very different man than he was when he left, his parents have passed on but he returns to the home he grew up in, but not everyone in town is happy that he has returned and it has nothing to do with what he went to jail for but something that happened when he was sixteen and trouble is brewing.

Emma Cameron lives on her farm Deception Creek she runs it with the help of her farm hand Matt, she is recently divorced mainly because her ex says she was married to the farm, she went through a tough time ten years before when she was the first to arrive on the scene of a terrible car accident, she has kept in touch with the driver of that car, Kyle through the years and he has arrived in town to catch up with Emma, could this mean changes for Emma?

Dave and Jack are feeling that something is not quite right in their town at the moment and feel the need to look into the death of young Maggie Douglas years before and need to talk to Joel Hammond, as well as that Zara, Jack鈥檚 girlfriend and journalist is looking into the reasons for Joel going to jail and they uncover a lot more than any of them expected, family secrets, lies and cover-ups.

This one had me turning the pages it was basically a one sitting read with a bit of sleep over night, I could barely put it down, Fleur McDonald has again put together a brilliant story with twists and turns that kept me enthralled and turning the pages, and explosive end had everything uncovered, so many different crimes linked in a way that had me shaking my head all set in a small farming community, this is a book that I would highly recommend, a brilliant read, one not to be missed and as ever I am looking forward to the next Fleur McDonald book.

My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my copy to read and review.
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Nov 18, 2021 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-author, provided-by-publisher, arc-are

Two seemingly unrelated story threads eventually overlap in Deception Creek, the fifth Australian rural mystery novel by Fleur McDonald to feature Detective Dave Burrows in the town of Barker, though the ninth in which he appears.

When Joel Hammond returns to Barker after serving a nine year jail sentence, Dave is surprised by the venom directed at him by a handful of locals. Their anger, Dave learns, is unrelated to the financial crimes that Joel claims he is innocent of. When Joel was a teenage Two seemingly unrelated story threads eventually overlap in Deception Creek, the fifth Australian rural mystery novel by Fleur McDonald to feature Detective Dave Burrows in the town of Barker, though the ninth in which he appears.

When Joel Hammond returns to Barker after serving a nine year jail sentence, Dave is surprised by the venom directed at him by a handful of locals. Their anger, Dave learns, is unrelated to the financial crimes that Joel claims he is innocent of. When Joel was a teenager his girlfriend, Maggie, died after a fall from a water tower, and though he was cleared of any involvement, her family have always believed him responsible.

Though Emma Cameron鈥檚 marriage has ended in divorce, she鈥檚 proud that all her hard work means the farm she inherited from her parents in Deception Creek is almost debt free. She doesn鈥檛 want to be alone forever though and when Kyle Pengilly, with whom she shares a tragic memory, comes to town, she finds his obvious interest flattering.

McDonald鈥檚 plot is skilfully crafted, well paced, and offers a truly unexpected ending. While Dave, and his partner Senior Constable Jack Higgins try to keep peace in town as Maggie鈥檚 brother, Steve, becomes increasingly confrontational with Joel, their partners, Kim Burrows and journalist Zara Ellison, grow curious not only about Joel鈥檚 insistence that he was not guilty of fraud, but also what really happened the night Maggie died. I was caught up in the drama and suspense as their questions unravel shocking truths that have been hidden for decades.

I鈥檝e grown familiar with the core characters, who share a strong sense of community and justice, over previous instalments and find them to be an appealing foursome. I liked Emma, an independent, capable farmer, and Joel who, despite the accusations levelled against him, is sympathetic. Interestingly, both these characters give McDonald another opportunity to explore facets of PTSD, as she has done in several previous novels.

Though it can be read as a stand alone, Deception Creek is another great read is what is an engaging series that combines suspense and romance in an authentic rural Australian setting. ...more

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Dec 12, 2021 Janine rated it really liked it

Really enjoyed this rural suspense novel about small town prejudices. Fleur covered many topics including domestic violence, online dating scams, blackmail, gossip and small town policing.
My first encounter with Det Dave Burrows! Will definitely be reading more of Fleur鈥檚 books. Highly recommended 馃榾

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