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Cam Fraser #1

Flashpoint

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You can run from everything but your fears.

Three years after a gang brutally murdered his wife and son, Sergeant Cam Fraser has returned with his daughter Ruby to the country town where he was raised - a town too small for trouble. But then a body is found on the school grounds, badly burned and unrecognisable. Who in Glenroyd could possibly be a murderer? And why?

This violent crime plunges Cam straight into a baffling and deadly investigation, where nothing is as it seems. From shady cop Vince to the secretive Smithsons who run the school to the local bikie gang who may still want him dead, Cam has his hands full with suspects. Not to mention Jo, his daughter's teacher, whom he can't keep his mind off of ...

But the danger is coming closer to home, and Cam is running out of time to solve the case. Will he be able to protect Ruby and stop the killer? Or will everything go up in flames?

209 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

17 people are currently reading
119 people want to read

About the author

Felicity Young

16 books94 followers
I was born in Germany and educated at an English boarding school while my parents travelled the world with the British army. I think the long boring plane trips home played an important part in helping me to develop my creative imagination.

I settled with my parents in Western Australia in 1976, became a nurse, married young and had three children. Not surprisingly, it took ten years to complete an Arts degree (English lit) at UWA.

In 1990 my family and I moved to a small farm 40 kilometers NE of Perth (Western Australia) where I established a Suffolk sheep stud, reared orphan kangaroos and embarked upon a life of crime writing.

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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Phrynne.
4,031 reviews2,726 followers
February 24, 2017
This was a really enjoyable police procedural, introducing Sergeant Cam Fraser who has recently returned to his home town after some very serious misfortunes elsewhere. I liked his character very much and will be happy to read more about him in any future books.
I knocked off one star for the stereotyping of many of the characters and the predictability of the story. The bad guys were really bad and the good guys were always helpful and lovable all the way. The bent cop was a terrible cliché. The guilty party was obvious although there is an interesting twist at the end which I did not see coming. One character at least was unpredictable!
I know I enjoyed it because after I finished I kept thinking about the characters. I hope book two has plenty of Cam and Jo in it but please send Ruby to boarding school somewhere far away.
Well worth reading:)
Profile Image for Brenda.
5,073 reviews3,012 followers
November 25, 2015
Sergeant Cam Fraser and his daughter Ruby had recently returned from Sydney NSW to his home town of Glenroyd in WA; still grieving from the horrific loss of his wife and son in a house fire three years prior, Cam hoped the small country town would go a long way to healing their heartache. But Ruby hadn’t wanted to leave her friends in Sydney – surly and insolent, she did all she could to try her father’s patience. Cam once again buried himself in his work…

Unexpectedly, a burned body was discovered in the grounds of the school where Ruby would start after the school holidays – was it just a tragic accident, or was it murder? Cam was immediately deep into the investigation; his force was small, his officers a mixed bunch. But Cam was determined to uncover what was going on in the small town. And with the direction leaning toward local bikies, the chill of fear once more settled into Cam.

As the danger escalated and more bodies were found, Cam wasn’t sure who he could trust; he didn’t know if he could keep Ruby safe either. Were his suspicions correct? Would he find the killer and solve the case, or would it be too late?

I really enjoy Aussie author Felicity Young’s writing style. With Flashpoint, the characters are extremely well drawn - Cam is a normal reticent male having trouble bringing up a teenage daughter after his wife and son were tragically killed; Ruby is a normal angst ridden teenager blaming her father for all her troubles. An excellently delivered crime novel, Flashpoint ticks all the boxes for me. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy to read and review.
Profile Image for Carolyn.
2,746 reviews747 followers
September 21, 2017
After the death of his wife and son in a fire, Cam Fraser and his teenage daughter Ruby have moved back to the small West Australian wheatbelt town where he grew up, where he is now to head the local police station. Ruby is not impressed at having to leave her friends behind in Sydney to live in this hick town and is giving him a hard time. When Cam finds a burnt body in the bush near the private school where Ruby is to enrol after the summer, he sets in a train an investigation that will put him and Ruby in danger, cause the death of a police officer and uncover secrets and lies before the truth is discovered. This police procedural was a little plodding and predictable initially with not much progress being made but once it got going it was excellent with some good twists at the end. Will definitely read the next book in the series. 3.5★
Profile Image for Alex Cantone.
Author 3 books45 followers
October 14, 2018
Sleep did not come to Jo. She knew it wouldn’t. She lay awake listening to the rock-crushing snores of her bloodhound and Ruth’s soft breathing from the floor by her bed. Every time she closed her eyes, she was back in the prefab, the flames growing closer, building up like the screams inside her head. Her heart pounded in her head with a sickening rhythm. She took some deep breaths to slow it down, noticing how the rhythm seemed to have synchronised itself to the ticking of the alarm clock and the noises of the night. From the river a banjo frog called to its mate with a slow resonant twang. The old gum in the back garden creaked to the whisper of the breeze.

Widower Sergeant Cam Fraser has moved with his teenage daughter Ruby, from NSW back to the rural West Australian town where he grew up and met his wife, Elizabeth. Three years earlier his wife and son were killed in a car bomb after he testified against a bikie gang. His immediate problem, other than getting his troubled daughter settled in a new school, is the police beat he is to manage: Vince, an obstructive Senior Constable has a file of complains against him, plus a useless admin bloke, an ex-AFL player and rookie, Leanne. When a partially-burned body turns up outside the school grounds, Cam and Vince set out to investigate.

‘How do you see it then?’ Cam asked, rubbing his chin.
Vince puffed himself up. ‘Some lush was in the bush, having a drink, fell asleep, dropped his smoke and whoosh, instant crispy critter with fries. You don’t call SOCO out over the accidental death of one pisspot. I’ve been here eight years, Sarge; you’ve been here eight days. Toorrup has enough on its hands with the bikie gangs...’


The deceased was until recently a maintenance man, fired from the school for misconduct. But with conflicting eye-witness reports Cam has difficulty sorting out the truth, in a town where nothing is what it seems. Plus he has Ruby to worry about…

When I began to read this, my thoughts were cliché-ed “High Noon”: the noble police officer, Cam, attractive teacher, Jo Bowman and rebellious daughter, Ruby, in a red-neck town transposed to WA. Instead, as the drama and investigation unfolded, I was drawn in and not until the end did I pick the villain, who used misdirection.

And not the least bit “sookie”. I liked the background of the bush, birds and frogs, though there are a few typos missed during editing in this eBook (why did HarperCollins not pick them up???) Overall I was impressed and look forward to reading more from Felicity Young.
Profile Image for Linda Strong.
3,878 reviews1,709 followers
December 24, 2015
1. the lowest temperature at which vapors above a volatile combustible substance ignite in air when exposed to flame 2. a point at which someone or something bursts suddenly into action or being

Sergeant Cameron Fraser, with his daughter Ruby, have returned to his hometown following the murder of his wife and son. Within days of his arrival and taking over the police department, a body is found ... burned almost beyond recognition.

There's no lack of suspects ... everyone from his daughter's new boyfriend to corrupt police to the people who run the school where the body was found to drug gang members who may have followed him to this town. As more strange events occur, Cam realizes his daughter's life may be in jeopardy.

There is plenty of action and suspense that keeps building until the very end. The characters are fleshed out ... especially the teenager with all her angst and hostility. The book is extremely well-written. All the secondary players maintain their importance to the story.

This was the author's very first book ( A CERTAIN MALICE ) and is now re-issued under a new title (FLASHPOINT).

My thanks to the author / HarperCollins Publishers Australia / NetGalley who furnished a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Profile Image for Karen.
1,970 reviews107 followers
December 15, 2015
Before WA based author Felicity Young commenced her extremely good Dr Dody McCleland series, she published a series of police procedural novels one of which built around the central character of Sergeant Cam Fraser in it. FLASHPOINT, originally out in 2005, has recently been re-released in ebook format.

Years ago this reader did read FLASHPOINT and some of the elements remained and obviously a lot didn't (the first version of this review muddled up the Cam Fraser and Stevie Hooper series utterly - with apologies to Felicity Young). FLASHPOINT looks back to recent events when his wife and young son were murdered, set in the immediate aftermath, as Fraser and his daughter Ruby return to the country town where he grew up - he assigned to the local Police Station, Ruby to be enrolled in the school that her mother attended.

The story starts out with the discovery of a burnt body and proceeds from there to build the details of the investigation, interwoven with the difficulties that Fraser and his daughter continue to have in coming to terms with the violent act that killed the rest of the family, and the tensions that come from settling into a new community, to say nothing of the difficulties of a now single father raising a teenage girl who is desperate to construct her own life.

The combination of an ongoing investigation, and the family tensions, as well as settling back into a town that has history for Fraser are balanced well, with Young writing the police procedural aspects with authority and a careful touch. The revelation of Fraser's backstory is woven into events in a logical manner, never distracting from the current death, providing insight into Fraser's behaviour and reactions, to say nothing of investigative tools and information that wouldn't be so readily available in larger, less connected societies. Whilst there is much in the sulky, difficult teenage daughter that is predictable, there is also the poignancy of a young girl whose life has gone through so much upheaval and the difficulties she is experiencing as a result.

As with the Dody McCleland series, this book works really well. Young expands the backstory and allow the characters to take on personalities that you can connect with. Which makes republishing FLASHPOINT as an ebook a great opportunity for fans of Australian police procedurals as FLAREUP, the second Cam Fraser book will be out next year.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
Profile Image for Nick Brett.
1,063 reviews68 followers
November 22, 2020
An Australian murder mystery set in the Outback. Cam Fraser has returned to the small town of his youth following the murder of his wife and son in Sydney. His daughter doesn’t want to be there with him and while he tries to adjust to the Outback life, the murder of a school caretaker changes everything.
So, while our trusty Sergeant investigates things spiral and more people are in danger.
Quite a bit of this was fairly easy to guess, with a small town cast, you end up with not too many people to guess from. Cam himself is slightly hard to emphasise with and that doesn’t help with carrying the story. It is a short and easy read and nice to get a different location from the usual US and UK based stories.
But it was slightly obvious and lacking enough depth for me.
Profile Image for Steve.
1,329 reviews
June 14, 2020
While I will admit that the location of the two towns mentioned in this book distracted me by having me work out if they exist, the story very quickly grabbed me, and didn't let go. The plot twists came thick and fast, and led up to a delicious climax. The antagonist was perfectly shielded from me, with I'm sad to say, the decoy distracting me enough that the real one was a shock. I can't wait to read the next in the series.
Profile Image for Trevor.
515 reviews77 followers
July 28, 2020
A good, solid, well plotted and enjoyable read, with interesting well drawn characters.

The only downside for me was, although the story was well plotted, it felt as though it wasn't a particularly original story - injured cop goes back to where he grew up and encounters crimes committed by people from his past. Having said that though I did enjoy the telling of the tale.
Profile Image for Helen.
747 reviews6 followers
October 10, 2019
Outstanding! I may like Cam Fraser better than Aaron Falk. Don’t tell him. If you like Jane Harper you’ll like this, and vice versa. I’m already disappointed that there are only 2 in the series so far and I started the second the moment I finished this book. Excellent work Felicity Young.
Profile Image for Mark.
1 review
Read
September 9, 2022
Meth fuelled country crime caper

This is a thrilling gripping conspiracy fast paced country crime story. Bikies, meth lab, murder mystery, young love unrequited love psycho revenge page turner. Rich descriptions of country life and it's quirks keep you hooked.
Profile Image for Catsalive.
2,622 reviews40 followers
March 11, 2015
When Sergeant Cam Fraser thinks the gang who murdered his wife and son are targeting his daughter, he relocates to the other side of Australia, not expecting trouble in the small country town where he was raised. But a violent, puzzling murder at an exclusive girls' college plunges him into a baffling and deadly investigation - and raises menacing ghosts from his past. A taut and creepy debut crime novel.
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Senior Sergeant Cameron Fraser has moved, with his daughter Ruby, from Sydney to his home town of Glenroyd, in country WA, to take charge of the local police station. Fraser hopes to put the death of his wife and son in a deadly fire behind him, and to protect Ruby and himself from the bikie gangs responsible for that fire.

I enjoyed this very much. Very easy reading. The chapters ran from Monday to Sunday - amazing what can happen in a week. I didn't enjoy the tiger snake episode much - that is a nasty way to go. Plenty of twists & turn, & I had trouble putting the book down when forced to.

Ruby needs saving from herself more than anything - she has a real chip on her shoulder & resents her father for taking her away from Sydney, acting out her problems by getting up to the sort of mischief she knows Cam wouldn't like.

I'd never heard of this Australian writer when I picked this book from the Oz VBB & I don't know why. This was an excellent crime novel & I could feel the atmosphere of the small country town - I know, I grew up in some of them. I'd love to find more of her novels. Rated 8/10. http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/7...
Profile Image for Sally906.
1,456 reviews3 followers
July 15, 2015
Opening Sentence:
‘…”First I heard the thumping feet, then I caught a flash of the kangaroo bounding through the burned bushland“…’

Senior Sergeant Cameron Fraser, along with his teenage daughter Ruby, has moved from Sydney to his hometown of Glenroyd to take charge of the local police station. Fraser hopes to finally put behind them the deaths of his wife and young son three years before in a deadly fire, one in which Fraser was badly burned trying to save them. He also hopes to protect Ruby and himself from the bikie gangs responsible for the fire that all but destroyed their lives.

Author, Felicity Young, started off by easing the reader into the story. Opening with the discovery of a burnt body. From there Felicity took an almost interminable amount of time developing the setting and introducing characters.
However, this was just the lull before the storm – without warning the plot suddenly cranked up into top gear and sped off at such a pace that this reader hardly had time to pause for breath. I did not dare put the book down in case I
missed something.

Twists and turns abound, and just when I thought that I may have an idea what might be happening, and where the investigation was going, Felicity changed direction and dragged me off down another route. There is betrayal after betrayal – trust no-on, but can you trust yourself? Everyone gets betrayed in some way – right up to the final hurrah on the side of a country road. Talk about edge of the seat stuff.

A very, very good read.
Profile Image for Jackie Roche.
538 reviews19 followers
February 14, 2016
I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for giving me the opportunity to read this in return for an honest and open review.
I haven't read many crime books set in Australia but after reading this I will certainly rectify that.
I really enjoyed this story of policeman Cam who relocates in order to protect his daughter from the gang who killed his wife and son.
The characters were introduced slowly, which I liked as it gave me the chance to get to know them better.
The relationship between Cam and his daughter I felt was spot on and I could definitely empathise with him after bringing up my daughter on my own.
There were enough twists and turns, and a few red herrings, to keep me turning the pages.
I hope there will be more Cam Hunter books in the future.
Profile Image for A.M. Johnson.
Author 3 books49 followers
December 8, 2015
I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I must admit I picked this book to read solely from the cover, I found it intriguing, and thought if the story was half as good as the cover, than I would be fairly happy.
I was not disappointed, I really enjoyed this story.
It was well written and flowed freely.
I fell for the lead character Cam, I just wanted to hug him.
As far as the police/mystery/thriller side of things, yep it was good, I thought I had picked the villain at about 35/40% but never did I envision it the way it went down.
Well done, you kept me guessing until the last couple of chapters!!
Totally recommend!
Profile Image for Spitz.
593 reviews
October 29, 2014
i really like this author and the setup was promising...but the denouement was over the top: one of the suspects is suddenly exposed as the crazed obsessed psychopath murderer drug dealer who tosses a poisonous snake in the car of our hero and puts a fake kidnap note of his daughter on the windshield. I would have enjoyed a more leisurely character development and fewer spontaneous yet very complicated attacks. The timeline wasn't clear-- did it all happen with a couple days, a week? In any case, a fast developing story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Balthazar Lawson.
772 reviews9 followers
January 23, 2016
Cam Fraser is a former undercover officer and detective who returns to his home town of Glenroyd in Western Australia to run the small police station. He is running away from his past and to protect his daughter from those who killed his wife and son. He was expecting a quiet life but from the very beginning he finds that that is the last thing he will be having.

I found this a very entertaining read and love the Australian small town country setting. The characters were captivating though some were rather cliché.

This is the first book in the series and I look forward to the next.
Profile Image for Peggy.
2,464 reviews51 followers
November 6, 2015
**SPOILER FREE**


No surprise by this author that she puts out another well written book! This one kept the pages turned quicker than anything...Smooth sailing with the story plot that keeps you on the edge. The characters are enjoyable. The plot of the story will have you guessing and trying waiting to get further into the story to see what all ends up taking place.


*Received for an honest review*
Profile Image for Lesley.
328 reviews5 followers
October 14, 2012
Felicity Young is a new find for me. I enjoyed this book very much & really became invested in the characters, I wanted to know what happened next & was a bit disappointed when I started her next book that the characters didn't carry on.
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