Canticle Creek

Eve
I am sorry to say that I did not do very well with this book. I liked the sound of it very much, but in reality I didn't find it very interesting or entertaining The characters did not hold my interest and the plot felt weak. Maybe, when I have had the chance to discuss it with others, I will try again. Until then i do not feel that i have read enough to give a realistic score. My apologies.

Arleen
I really enjoyed this book set in Australia. It was well written and one felt you were there with the people concerned. The story begins in Central Australia, we are introduced to a young man called Adam. A very likable young man but always just on the fringe of getting into real trouble. This is where the story begins in the heat that is so uncomfortable and sensible people stay in doors to keep cool.
The first murder is a young lady who was liked by everyone. It sent shock waves through the small town. A second body was found in a crashed car very close to the murdered young lady. The man who was driving the car was Adam. It was supposed that he had killed the woman and crashed in his attempt to get away. The police thought it was an open and shut case
Except one police woman called Jess.
The story has a lot of twist and turns and Jess is determined to get to the truth. She knows Adam and is sure he is innocent but to prove it takes a lot of time. So the story goes on with Jess never giving up to prove Adam didn't murder the young lady, and to find the real murder. The ending was exciting when the real murderer was unmasked.
I would recommend this book and score is 8 out of 10

Helen
I enjoyed this book. It was an easy to read murder mystery, with some strong female lead characters. I thought it was well written - the environment came to life effectively, I could feel the dry, dusty heat. I didn’t predict the twist at the end, and although I don’t think that the content was particularly deep and profound it was a good tale and I would look for other books by this author. 8/10
Chris
This book was a great holiday read. Well written and I found the characters were mostly believable and likeable. The story kept giving twists which kept it interesting. I would give it 8.

Carolyn
Although this is a book that probably won't stay with me for long it was an easy, quick read and I did enjoy it.
I score it 7.

Kirsty
I really enjoyed the storyline and I loved the main character Jesse who I thought was a brilliantly strong protagonist. I love the fact that although she works in a primarily male dominated workplace that she refuses to be a wallflower and gives back more than she gets, especially when she kicked one of the goons in between his legs!! The book was really easy to read and I had read the 80% in one sitting yesterday and finished the rest in about an hour after returning home. I was gobsmacked at the ending and would not have seen that one coming at all. The author does an absolutely brilliant job of describing the settings of Australia to the point where I could see everything around Jesse but also feel the heat, which I could have done without considering the heat we have been having!! It wasn't just Jesse that stood out for me and I liked meeting though but also Possum and Nadia who I thought were also both very strong female protagonists. The three ladies had gone through things in their past, especially Nadia, but yet refused to let it bring them down by the end and that really stood out for me. Considering the author is male he really wrote the female characters well rather than what I have seen as some of the typical stereotyping of female characters from some other male authors I have read. The other character that I adored was Jesse's Dad Ben who made me laugh a few times especially with some of the things he came out with!! There was a fantastic range of characters and the storyline was filled with crime, friendship, strength, community, humour and mystery. I would definitely be interested in reading more books from this author!!!
I give it 8 out of 10

Sonia
Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book. I was expecting a good read but sadly I found it quite boring and was comparing it negatively in my mind to Scrublands the whole time. I was not interested in the characters nor the story which I found a little forced. I did not get the atmosphere in general or the feeling of the fire in particular so a disappointment for me. I can only score it a 3 out of 10.

Average score : 7 out of 10.