The Bright brothers - Nathan, Cameron, and Bub - grew up on a cattle ranch in the Australian outback with their father Carl and mother Liz. The ranch, called Burley Downs - which covers 3500 square kilometers (1350 square miles) - was inherited by the siblings when their father died twenty years ago.
Due to subsequent changes, a divorced Nathan now lives on a moderate spread three hours away, while Cameron and Bub continue to live at Burley Downs with their mother Liz; Cameron's wife Ilse and daughters Sophie (8) and Lo (5); and ranch hand Harry - who's almost a member of the family.
Life in the outback is hard, with temperatures regularly topping 40°C (104°F), so that even brief exposure is deadly. No one in their right mind leaves home without an ample supply of water, rations, and a radio to call for assistance - since a broken down vehicle could leave a person stranded far from home with no one living closer than tens of miles and no other vehicles on the road.
Thus it's a shock to everyone when Cameron's body is found beside 'Stockman's Grave', the resting place of a man who died on Burley Downs over a century ago. Cameron had neither water nor a radio with him, and his Land Cruiser was 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) away. The local nurse and visiting policeman find no signs of violence, and no one can explain why Cameron died alone and dehydrated. Suicide seems to be the only explanation, but a gun would have been much easier.
Given Cameron's mysterious demise Nathan and his sixteen-year-old son Xander, who's visiting from Brisbane, go to stay at Burley Downs. It so happens that Christmas is only a few days away and the family prepares for Cameron's funeral and a Christmas celebration (for the kids) at the same time.
As might be expected, the atmosphere at the ranch is tense: Liz is distraught; Ilse is troubled and concerned about her girls; Bub is drinking too much; Harry is uncommunicative; and Nathan is anxious. Nevertheless, Nathan takes the opportunity to ask about Cameron's recent state of mind; phone calls; work schedule; and so on - to look for clues to his death. To add to the stress at the ranch, a couple of British backpackers - Katy and Simon - are working there short term....and seem very unnerved by Cameron's death.
No one in this book seems particularly happy and Nathan is especially depressed. He's kept to himself for years, rarely visiting his family and never going into the nearest town. Moreover, Nathan's dog died not long ago, adding to his isolation. Little by little we find out why Nathan is all alone. We also learn uncomfortable truths about the other characters.....and find out how and why Cameron died. Unfortunately the characters' secrets aren't very shocking, and I was a bit disappointed with the predictability of their behavior.
Nevertheless, the story is well-written, and the author's description of the heat and dust of the outback seems very authentic. I think many mystery fans would enjoy this book.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Jane Harper), and the publisher (Flatiron Books) for a copy of the book.
Rating: 3 stars
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