ŷ������

5��
��‘Thank you, Gabe. Alhamdulillah Shukur, I think the wound is not too bad.�� Amin gave him a pained smile. ‘God has smiled on me today.��

Gabe scoffed and looked about the parched landscape. ‘God forgot about these parts a long time ago.����

Gabe is an old dogger, dog-trapper (of dingos and feral dogs), and like some of the cunning old dogs, he has accumulated a collection of tricks to hide his tracks �� tricks we’d probably never think of. He has a ute that is completely fitted out for trapping and living in the bush for extended periods.

��‘Leave no sign, leave no trace.�� That was his rule.

Gabe kicked off his sneakers, tucked them into their designated pocket on the tray, and lowered the mesh security cage surrounding the canopy’s steel frame, locking the panels and zipping up the canvas flaps. He padded around to the driver’s door and, once inside the cab, slipped on his work boots. Stained with kangaroo blood, spilled diesel and all manner of giveaway scents, these never saw the ground within cooee of a trap site.��

His ute is a Toyota Landcruiser, a 4x4 light truck with a small bench seat behind the front seats for storage. It’s a workhorse, not a pretty, low-slung ‘town�� ute , which is more like a station wagon with only the front cabin and an open back end. But I digress for non-Australian readers.

While he’s tiptoeing around in the bush, in an Aboriginal reserve area he’s not allowed to trap in, he comes across an execution. And that’s where the trouble begins. He manages to rescue one captive, Amin, whom he bandages up. Meanwhile, the villains, people-smugglers, have escaped.

This is the Australian west, not the tropical and semi-tropical east coast or the more highly-populated, cosmopolitan areas around the edges of the continent. Amin has obviously entered the country from somewhere along the west coast, from the Indian Ocean, this takes place in the parched rugged area further inland.

Gabe is a widower, missing his wife, and he has been alone a long time. He really does not want to get involved and wishes he could offload Amin somewhere safe. But Amin says nowhere is safe, because the people-smugglers still have his family, and there are crooked cops in on the trade.

Australia is known for gun control, but there are plenty of licensed firearms for farmers and hunters and people like Gabe, who use them as part of their business. And of course, like the rest of the world, there are illegal firearms, and we see plenty of them aimed at Gabe and Amin.

The small (fictional) town of Jakob’s Creek is the hub of what passes for civilisation in the story, with a pub, a cop shop, and a small medical centre. Gabe has known the sheriff for many years and trusts him. Amin is still doubtful. A talkative, lively, curious young nurse becomes involved, and the action is terrific!

The mix of characters makes for some good conversations between Gabe, Amin, (Afghan Muslim), the young nurse (chatty and curious), and local Aboriginal men who take part in the action. Darren is one of the young Aboriginal guys.

��‘I thank all of you.�� Amin turned his head to look at each of them. ‘For doing this. For helping me.��

Darren grinned. ‘Just doing it to piss the government off. Only thing they hate more than a blackfella on their land is a brown fella on a boat.��
. . .

‘S����,�� said Darren. ‘You’re Muslim, yeah?�� There was a slightly bemused expression on Amin’s face. ‘Don’t think I’ve ever met a Muslim before.��

‘How do you know?�� Amin asked. ‘Despite what some may think, we do not all walk around with a bomb vest strapped to our chests.����

This is authentic, exciting, topical, and a terrific thriller! The region is the author’s backyard, so to speak, and he sure does know what he’s talking about. The dialogue and descriptions are spot-on. It is a cracking good read, and it’s no wonder Lee Childs gave it such a glowing report.