When I sat down to read this book I thought I’d just cast my eye over a couple of pages while waiting for the kettle to boil. Trouble was I never got to make that cup of tea because I simply couldn’t pull myself away from the mystery that was unfolding on the pages.

Fleur McDonald‘s Into the Night had me hooked from the very first page.

This fast paced, rural crime thriller is the sixth book based on the capable and affable country copper, Detective Dave Burrows. Even though I haven’t read any of the earlier titles in this series I don’t believe it in any way hindered my enjoyment of this latest instalment.

Part of that is due to Fleur giving readers some character background early in the book but also because of the great dialogue between Dave and his police partner Bob. These highly enjoyable conversations are used as a tool for imparting all sorts of information about their lives and their current case at hand.

And what a case it is! Farmer and father, Leo Perry and his loyal kelpie, are missing and a farm fire has just wiped out his house and much of his property. Was the fire deliberate? Did Leo and his dog perish in the fire? Or has Leo done a runner, taken his life or been murdered?

Fleur is an expert in weaving a brilliant plot that’s full of subtle clues, sharp turns and all the highs and lows of Dave and Bob’s investigations. The collection of characters that support the plot are beautifully portrayed and there are endless descriptions that paint a clear picture of them, their emotions and their situations. Fleur is also deft at saying a lot with very few words. When Leo’s young son is crying for his missing father she writes, “Fat tears rolled down Noah’s red cheeks.” Such a lovely and careful choice of words.

The book’s rural setting, near the town of Yorkenup, will have Western Australian readers joining the dots on the map as many of the places bear names and locations similar to real ones. And as a West Australian myself the landscape that Fleur describes is very familiar to me. I also grew up on a farm so her farm-life references took me back to the days on my own family’s farm.

Fleur, who’s lived and worked on farms most of her life, now lives on a vast property near Esperance in WA. She knows rural settings like the back of her hand and the way she writes shows readers she really does know what she’s talking about. Her reference to Leo always carrying a “small notebook in his top pocket” reminded me so much of my Dad as did Leo hating to leave the farm on days of high risk fire.

Anyone who’s ever lived on a farm will also relate to the plethora of carefully placed rural and regional issues that Fleur threads into the plot. Farm succession, rural suicide, the culture of volunteering, intermittent electricity supply, dodgy mobile phone reception and access to far flung, city-based services are all touched upon. There’s also references to Gold Digger females (humorously called Hectare Hunters) who are looking to lasso themselves a wealthy farmer.

All these points give the book and its plot strong elements of authenticity. Rural readers will love Into the Night and city-slickers will certainly learn a thing or two about the reality of Australian farming life.

I give this book a big thumbs up!

Author: Fleur McDonald
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 9 781761 066474
Buy through Booktopia

This book review is supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund.