New Release Book Review: Something to Hide by Fleur McDonald

New Release Book Review: Something to Hide by Fleur McDonald

Title: Something to Hide

Author:  Fleur McDonald

Published: March 30th 2021

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Pages: 336

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

RRP: $29.99

Rating: 4 stars

A riveting new novel of rural suspense from the bestselling Voice of the Outback.With the sickening realisation that his cover has been blown, Detective Dave Burrows knows his family is in serious danger from the vicious stock thieves and murderers, Bulldust and his brother Scotty.

Devastating news brings Dave back to Barrabine, where circumstances force him to question his determination to stay in the police force. How could he live with himself if anything happened to Mel and the kids?

Mel, understandably frightened, must decide who she’ll listen to. Can she trust Dave to handle this threat hanging over their family, or is her father right to argue that she should leave her marriage immediately?

With her acclaimed skill for tension and drama, Fleur McDonald has delivered another richly compelling story in Something to Hide.

Review:

Rural suspense is Australian author Fleur McDonald’s passion and she presents her readers with another excellent chapter in the Detective Dave Burrows series with Something to Hide. A story filled with danger, tough decisions, protection, trust, determination, passion and revenge, Something to Hide is another gripping read from the bestselling outback novelist.

Detective Dave Burrows features again in this new rural mystery tale from respected Australian writer Fleur McDonald. Dave is faced with a tough choice when the story opens, with his identity unveiled to his enemies, Dave lives on borrowed time. This seasoned man of the law knows that with his cover exposed, his family are now in imminent danger. When two well known crime figures start to escalate, Dave knows he’s in for a tough ride. Dave is faced with a difficult road ahead as he strives to put a stop to this deadly twosome and the crimes there are committing. With his personal life coming into direct contact with his professional life, Dave faces a tough decision. Can Dave save his marriage, protect his family and put a stop to the criminals raging across his jurisdiction?

Fleur McDonald has been praised widely for her ability to deliver drama, thrills, mystery and suspense in each of her novels. Something to Hide is McDonald’s eighteenth release and it is cracking read from start to finish.

I love how with each new Dave Burrows featured story, we are gifted with another glimpse into this dogged detective’s life. Dave is a character that I have grown very fond of and with each book McDonald has penned my affection for this protagonist seems to grow. In Something to Hide we receive another glimpse into Dave complicated life and we see his vulnerabilities, despite being such a strong force in his field. In this particular issue in the series, Dave fails his wife and family, which sees him confront a rather difficult future. McDonald exposes this troubled aspect of Dave’s character really well, especially for those who have remained connected to this series from the start. Even if you are new to McDonald’s books and her charming lead, it is hard not to develop a sense of empathy for this solid figure.

McDonald evens out her good and bad characters in this novel. The baddies are pretty despicable bunch. The two men who create a great deal of havoc for our celebrated detective are pretty wild and untamed. These ruthless and violent men perform some bad deeds which helps to embellish the crime aspect of this tale. The plot is engulfed in plenty of drama, relationship issues, personal strains, tension, divisions, upset, violence, loss and law-based police work. I wasn’t sure how it was all going to end, but this uncertainty didn’t upset me in the slightest, it encouraged me to flick through the pages of Something to Hide at a rapid rate.

With a richly realised outback goldfields backdrop, which is engulfed in red dirt, heat and dust, Something to Hide offers the reader a glimpse into the raw underbelly of bush life. I’m keen to see where McDonald takes her outback lead next.

Something to Hide by Fleur McDonald was published on 30th March 2021 by Allen & Unwin. Details on how to purchase the book can be found here.

To learn more about the author of Something to Hide, Fleur McDonald, visit here.

*Thanks extended to Allen & Unwin for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.

Something to Hide is book #73 of the 2021 Australian Women Writers Challenge

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