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Emily Tempest #2
Gunshot Road
Emily Tempest. Small, black, snaky as a taipan's tooth: the woman least likely to pursue a career in policing.
Now, somehow, Emily's become the Aboriginal Community Police Officer for the outback (not to mention throwback) town of Bluebush. Being allergic both to authority and to keeping her big mouth shut, she's immediately at odds with her new boss. And a death at the Green Swamp Well Roadhouse just makes things worse. Officially it's a simple case of two old drunks and a hammer.
Emily's not convinced.
Now, somehow, Emily's become the Aboriginal Community Police Officer for the outback (not to mention throwback) town of Bluebush. Being allergic both to authority and to keeping her big mouth shut, she's immediately at odds with her new boss. And a death at the Green Swamp Well Roadhouse just makes things worse. Officially it's a simple case of two old drunks and a hammer.
Emily's not convinced.
371 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
73 people are currently reading
332 people want to read
About the author
Adrian Hyland
9 books109 followersAdrian Hyland spent many years in the Northern Territory, living and working among indigenous people. He now teaches at LaTrobe University and lives in the north-east of Melbourne. His first novel, Diamond Dove won the 2007 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
June 26, 2017
4.5★
“Somewhere among the hovels a rooster crowed. Didn’t necessarily mean the approach of dawn—that bird’s timing had been out of whack since it broke into Reggie Tapungati’s dope stash—but it was a reminder.”
Emily Tempest is an ACPO, Aboriginal Community Police Officer who knows more about her part of the outback than her newly arrived boss ever will. This is one of those delightfully entertaining mysteries that I love (and can’t read with a straight face). Emily’s waiting outside the station to introduce herself, when a pair of cops drive up, ignoring the waiting black girl.
“One was stocky, double-chinned, wore his belly like a weapon; he had an A-frame moustache and a head like a wild pig. The other was stringy, with red hair, blistered lips and an Adam’s apple I could spot at twenty feet: a long, thin face, like a blacksmith had laid it on an anvil and taken to it with a hammer.”
But the boss is a crisply dressed, tanned, blue-eyed, blond suburban cop from the beaches of Queensland. He expects nothing more from her than to act as social liaison with the local Aborigines.
When an old geologist is found murdered with one of his friends passed out beside him, the cops reckon it’s a straight-forward drunken argument gone wrong. Emily has known both old blokes for years and knows the geologist was investigating an interesting theory and had been compiling information and building some kind of model of stones in his backyard. But he was getting on, acting weird, and everyone just reckoned he was going off his rocker, as many people do who live a long time in the outback.
After sneaking back to look around the guy’s house, she finally gets permission from the boss to investigate further. He lets her use the “government vehicle” (which he keeps polished), as long as she carries no passengers and brings it back in pristine condition.
What? In the rocky, dusty red outback with friends and rellies who have no transport? You can see where that storyline is going, can’t you? She has to get young Danny out of town and back to his people, so . . . with her first passenger on board before she's even left town, the action ramps up and the vehicle succumbs to the inevitable.
The stars of the story are a varied and colourful bunch. There are the peculiar townsfolk of Bluebush, a wide spot in the road that’s attracted some odd characters. Then there’s Emily’s mob, her white, bush mechanic dad and the Aboriginal community she’s grown up in. She turns to the aunties for TLC when things get too tough. Doesn’t matter that the communities are full of ramshackle buildings, rusted cars and mangy dogs. It’s home and she loves the people.
“Say what you like about me and my mob, there’s one thing you can’t deny: we’re survivors. You can kick us and kill us and drown us in bible and booze, but you better get used to us because we’re not going away.”
Reference is made everywhere to the spiritual nature of the Aboriginal communities - the taboos, the beliefs, the mysticism. Andulka is a man, long-dead (so it is widely believed), but . . .
"Andulka, the mystery nomad. . . He was a Jungarayi, . . . dead for years—blown up and buried under a mountain at Green Saturn—was acting as a lightning rod for the spirit of his people. The man himself was unimportant. A shiver in the wind, a spike in the sun’s glare; it was what he stood for that mattered. Andulka loomed large in their collective imagination. They saw him crafting a solitary path out there, moving down dry waterways, over the cracking blacksoil plains. They felt the great song cycles surge through his bones. In him, the stories came to life, the past became present."
Food for thought, exciting story, lots of action, mystery and characters I’d like to see again. Young Danny deserves some more time, I think. I didn’t read the first Emily Tempest story, . . . but I don’t think it matters. This stands on its own. Hyland has managed the female voice of Emily well.
If I have a complaint, it’s that, no matter how badly she’s been injured, she seems to be back in action almost immediately. But if I‘ve been able to suspend disbelief so often for male operatives, surely I can do the same for this resourceful, tough black cookie!
Loved it! Aussie authorAdrian Hyland knows the Northern Territory and its people, and it's a joy to read about them.
“Somewhere among the hovels a rooster crowed. Didn’t necessarily mean the approach of dawn—that bird’s timing had been out of whack since it broke into Reggie Tapungati’s dope stash—but it was a reminder.”
Emily Tempest is an ACPO, Aboriginal Community Police Officer who knows more about her part of the outback than her newly arrived boss ever will. This is one of those delightfully entertaining mysteries that I love (and can’t read with a straight face). Emily’s waiting outside the station to introduce herself, when a pair of cops drive up, ignoring the waiting black girl.
“One was stocky, double-chinned, wore his belly like a weapon; he had an A-frame moustache and a head like a wild pig. The other was stringy, with red hair, blistered lips and an Adam’s apple I could spot at twenty feet: a long, thin face, like a blacksmith had laid it on an anvil and taken to it with a hammer.”
But the boss is a crisply dressed, tanned, blue-eyed, blond suburban cop from the beaches of Queensland. He expects nothing more from her than to act as social liaison with the local Aborigines.
When an old geologist is found murdered with one of his friends passed out beside him, the cops reckon it’s a straight-forward drunken argument gone wrong. Emily has known both old blokes for years and knows the geologist was investigating an interesting theory and had been compiling information and building some kind of model of stones in his backyard. But he was getting on, acting weird, and everyone just reckoned he was going off his rocker, as many people do who live a long time in the outback.
After sneaking back to look around the guy’s house, she finally gets permission from the boss to investigate further. He lets her use the “government vehicle” (which he keeps polished), as long as she carries no passengers and brings it back in pristine condition.
What? In the rocky, dusty red outback with friends and rellies who have no transport? You can see where that storyline is going, can’t you? She has to get young Danny out of town and back to his people, so . . . with her first passenger on board before she's even left town, the action ramps up and the vehicle succumbs to the inevitable.
The stars of the story are a varied and colourful bunch. There are the peculiar townsfolk of Bluebush, a wide spot in the road that’s attracted some odd characters. Then there’s Emily’s mob, her white, bush mechanic dad and the Aboriginal community she’s grown up in. She turns to the aunties for TLC when things get too tough. Doesn’t matter that the communities are full of ramshackle buildings, rusted cars and mangy dogs. It’s home and she loves the people.
“Say what you like about me and my mob, there’s one thing you can’t deny: we’re survivors. You can kick us and kill us and drown us in bible and booze, but you better get used to us because we’re not going away.”
Reference is made everywhere to the spiritual nature of the Aboriginal communities - the taboos, the beliefs, the mysticism. Andulka is a man, long-dead (so it is widely believed), but . . .
"Andulka, the mystery nomad. . . He was a Jungarayi, . . . dead for years—blown up and buried under a mountain at Green Saturn—was acting as a lightning rod for the spirit of his people. The man himself was unimportant. A shiver in the wind, a spike in the sun’s glare; it was what he stood for that mattered. Andulka loomed large in their collective imagination. They saw him crafting a solitary path out there, moving down dry waterways, over the cracking blacksoil plains. They felt the great song cycles surge through his bones. In him, the stories came to life, the past became present."
Food for thought, exciting story, lots of action, mystery and characters I’d like to see again. Young Danny deserves some more time, I think. I didn’t read the first Emily Tempest story, . . . but I don’t think it matters. This stands on its own. Hyland has managed the female voice of Emily well.
If I have a complaint, it’s that, no matter how badly she’s been injured, she seems to be back in action almost immediately. But if I‘ve been able to suspend disbelief so often for male operatives, surely I can do the same for this resourceful, tough black cookie!
Loved it! Aussie authorAdrian Hyland knows the Northern Territory and its people, and it's a joy to read about them.
November 27, 2021
We first met Emily Tempest in Diamond Dove when she returned to her homeland in the Northern Territory, the place she grew up with her father after her mother died, but later left to go to University and travel the world. The daughter of an Aboriginal mother and white father, Emily wanted to spend some time re-acquainting herself with the desert and her mob who lived there. However, after becoming a successful amateur sleuth investigating the murder of one of their elders, she has accepted a position with the police as an Aboriginal Community Police Officer.
On Emily's first day on the job, the police are called out to a murder of an elderly geologist. Thought to be slightly crazy, he was last seen drinking in the pub the night before with his friend and engaging in a heated philosophical argument. When his body is found in his hut the next morning, his friend is found drunk and asleep nearby and is automatically accused of the murder. Emily, however, is concerned that the police have not arrested the right culprit and continues to investigate on her own.
Emily is a spirited and feisty woman who doesn't let anyone get away with anything, consequently getting into some really bad situations. She has a soft side for protecting her own people, particularly a young boy called Danny who she can see is troubled, but could still be saved from drugs and alcohol and falling in with the bad kids in town, if she can only get him to stay with his grandparents out of town.
After living for many years in central Australia, Adrian Hyland knows it well and has great respect for the Aboriginal people and their culture. He also has a good grasp of the racial politics, the clash of cultures that is destroying the Aboriginal way of life and the harm that is being done to the land by mining and climate change. The novel is rich with vernacular Australian language which overseas readers may find they need a glossary for. There is also a good vein of humour running through the novel, with the situations Emily gets herself into and the behaviour of the many interesting characters.
On Emily's first day on the job, the police are called out to a murder of an elderly geologist. Thought to be slightly crazy, he was last seen drinking in the pub the night before with his friend and engaging in a heated philosophical argument. When his body is found in his hut the next morning, his friend is found drunk and asleep nearby and is automatically accused of the murder. Emily, however, is concerned that the police have not arrested the right culprit and continues to investigate on her own.
Emily is a spirited and feisty woman who doesn't let anyone get away with anything, consequently getting into some really bad situations. She has a soft side for protecting her own people, particularly a young boy called Danny who she can see is troubled, but could still be saved from drugs and alcohol and falling in with the bad kids in town, if she can only get him to stay with his grandparents out of town.
After living for many years in central Australia, Adrian Hyland knows it well and has great respect for the Aboriginal people and their culture. He also has a good grasp of the racial politics, the clash of cultures that is destroying the Aboriginal way of life and the harm that is being done to the land by mining and climate change. The novel is rich with vernacular Australian language which overseas readers may find they need a glossary for. There is also a good vein of humour running through the novel, with the situations Emily gets herself into and the behaviour of the many interesting characters.
July 10, 2015
4.5★s
Bluebush’s latest Aboriginal Community Police Officer was Emily Tempest – no one could believe what she had decided to do. Emily bucked at authority; flaunted the law and spoke her mind – all the time. How on earth was she going to stay on the right side of the law as well as keep the peace? But her first day on the job found her disagreeing with her new boss – in her mind he was arrogant and had no idea about the community and how it all worked out in the bush. Newly arrived from Queensland, the differences couldn’t have been more noticeable.
When they were called to Green Swamp Well Roadhouse to investigate a death, Cockburn said it was an open and shut case; bundled his suspect into the van and sent him to the jail in Alice Springs. But Emily was certain Cockburn was wrong – and she decided to prove it. With her boss not listening to Emily’s concerns, she decided to take matters into her own hands. And immediately set herself on a path of danger, evil and destruction…
I thoroughly enjoyed Aussie author Adrian Hyland’s second Emily Tempest novel – I loved Diamond Dove, the first in the series, and Gunshot Road didn’t disappoint. This series is a great portrayal of life in the Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory of Australia, where the different mobs have to interact with the white people; their close mateship throughout their communities; their fear and mistrust of the white man. I have no hesitation in highly recommending Gunshot Road which is filled with mystery, suspense and tension.
Bluebush’s latest Aboriginal Community Police Officer was Emily Tempest – no one could believe what she had decided to do. Emily bucked at authority; flaunted the law and spoke her mind – all the time. How on earth was she going to stay on the right side of the law as well as keep the peace? But her first day on the job found her disagreeing with her new boss – in her mind he was arrogant and had no idea about the community and how it all worked out in the bush. Newly arrived from Queensland, the differences couldn’t have been more noticeable.
When they were called to Green Swamp Well Roadhouse to investigate a death, Cockburn said it was an open and shut case; bundled his suspect into the van and sent him to the jail in Alice Springs. But Emily was certain Cockburn was wrong – and she decided to prove it. With her boss not listening to Emily’s concerns, she decided to take matters into her own hands. And immediately set herself on a path of danger, evil and destruction…
I thoroughly enjoyed Aussie author Adrian Hyland’s second Emily Tempest novel – I loved Diamond Dove, the first in the series, and Gunshot Road didn’t disappoint. This series is a great portrayal of life in the Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory of Australia, where the different mobs have to interact with the white people; their close mateship throughout their communities; their fear and mistrust of the white man. I have no hesitation in highly recommending Gunshot Road which is filled with mystery, suspense and tension.
November 22, 2017
Adrian Hyland's writing resides amid a distinctive kind of Australian crime novel - akin to Shane Maloney, Peter Corris and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Peter Temple, Barry Maitland and Gary Disher. With all these authors, their stories are rooted deeply in our urban or rural Australian landscapes, their characters are affectionate portraits of ordinary Aussies, and their narratives are laced with a generous dose of laconic Aussie humour. It is a style that I greatly enjoy reading.
Hyland is somewhat unusual in that he is an Aussie male who has created a feisty female crime-solver, an indigenous woman to boot. Somewhat to my surprise, he carries it off very well. He seems to have a good handle on female behaviour and thinking patterns, and the internal dialogue of his heroine, Emily Tempest, feels authentic. He advises in the Afterword to Gunshot Road that he has drawn on his experiences of working in remote rural communities. No doubt he has seen first hand the way that Aboriginal people live, and also the gnarled, embittered, boozing whites who wash up in such distant and hopeless Outback communities.
Rather than mocking these folks, Hyland draws them with affection, and with a generous helping of cunning humour. I laughed a lot while reading Gunshot Road. The funniest character of all is Emily herself, with her world-wise, witty, yet caring take on the lives of her colleagues and relations. She knows how to laugh at herself as well, which is a godsend, as she is very prone to getting herself into all sorts of trouble.
Newly appointed as the Aboriginal Community Policing Officer for the tiny town of Bluebush, Emily takes on an investigation into the death of one of the eccentric old-timers, Doc Ozolins, a half-mad geologist of whom she is very fond. Her inquiries take her into harsh desert lands, raggedy bush camps and grotty booze barns. With his characteristic economic prose, Hyland paints a vivid picture of the people and the land they inhabit in this faraway corner of the Northern Territory.
The book is not all about humorous escapades in the outback, and Hyland takes the time to develop a poignant subplot involving an errant Aboriginal teenager, Danny, whom Emily takes under her wing. The other element of great elegance in this otherwise rollicking story is the exploration of the meaning of Country and its associated songs for the indigenous custodians.
After a fairly sedate start, Hyland gradually increases the pace as Emily's inquiries take her further into danger. By the final chapters of the book, things are happening rapid-fire. While I appreciated the escalation in the drama, which held my attention, I was dismayed at the repeated violence in which Emily is engaged, either as victim or perpetrator. I'm on record on other AR/GR posts with my stated dislike of fictional cops who go maverick and sustain terrible injuries while taking outrageous risks. Unfortunately, Hyland falls into the trap of so many crime writers. Right at the end my sympathy for Emily dried up. This is the dilemma - as the reader I wanted to admire Emily's courage, but as a person who loves it when the baddies are brought to justice, I thought Emily was a reckless idiot!
I first met the character Emily Tempest in Hyland's earlier crime novel Diamond Dove, which I greatly enjoyed. In this previous book we learn quite a lot about Emily's past, and her indigenous and European parentage. She had faced dilemmas associated with having one foot in the white community, while the other one was rooted in her black heritage. Having read so much about her previously, I really think it helped me to understand her behaviour and thinking in Gunshot Road. Although both books work fine as standalones, I'd recommend reading Diamond Dove first if possible.
Hyland is somewhat unusual in that he is an Aussie male who has created a feisty female crime-solver, an indigenous woman to boot. Somewhat to my surprise, he carries it off very well. He seems to have a good handle on female behaviour and thinking patterns, and the internal dialogue of his heroine, Emily Tempest, feels authentic. He advises in the Afterword to Gunshot Road that he has drawn on his experiences of working in remote rural communities. No doubt he has seen first hand the way that Aboriginal people live, and also the gnarled, embittered, boozing whites who wash up in such distant and hopeless Outback communities.
Rather than mocking these folks, Hyland draws them with affection, and with a generous helping of cunning humour. I laughed a lot while reading Gunshot Road. The funniest character of all is Emily herself, with her world-wise, witty, yet caring take on the lives of her colleagues and relations. She knows how to laugh at herself as well, which is a godsend, as she is very prone to getting herself into all sorts of trouble.
Newly appointed as the Aboriginal Community Policing Officer for the tiny town of Bluebush, Emily takes on an investigation into the death of one of the eccentric old-timers, Doc Ozolins, a half-mad geologist of whom she is very fond. Her inquiries take her into harsh desert lands, raggedy bush camps and grotty booze barns. With his characteristic economic prose, Hyland paints a vivid picture of the people and the land they inhabit in this faraway corner of the Northern Territory.
The book is not all about humorous escapades in the outback, and Hyland takes the time to develop a poignant subplot involving an errant Aboriginal teenager, Danny, whom Emily takes under her wing. The other element of great elegance in this otherwise rollicking story is the exploration of the meaning of Country and its associated songs for the indigenous custodians.
After a fairly sedate start, Hyland gradually increases the pace as Emily's inquiries take her further into danger. By the final chapters of the book, things are happening rapid-fire. While I appreciated the escalation in the drama, which held my attention, I was dismayed at the repeated violence in which Emily is engaged, either as victim or perpetrator. I'm on record on other AR/GR posts with my stated dislike of fictional cops who go maverick and sustain terrible injuries while taking outrageous risks. Unfortunately, Hyland falls into the trap of so many crime writers. Right at the end my sympathy for Emily dried up. This is the dilemma - as the reader I wanted to admire Emily's courage, but as a person who loves it when the baddies are brought to justice, I thought Emily was a reckless idiot!
I first met the character Emily Tempest in Hyland's earlier crime novel Diamond Dove, which I greatly enjoyed. In this previous book we learn quite a lot about Emily's past, and her indigenous and European parentage. She had faced dilemmas associated with having one foot in the white community, while the other one was rooted in her black heritage. Having read so much about her previously, I really think it helped me to understand her behaviour and thinking in Gunshot Road. Although both books work fine as standalones, I'd recommend reading Diamond Dove first if possible.
November 23, 2017
Gunshot Road is book two of Emma Tempest series by Adrian Hyland. Finally, a friend of Emily Tempest's father got her into police uniform as Aboriginal Community Police Officer (ACPO). Emma Tempests was on patrol with her boss when old prospector Doc was found dead. His friend Mr Petherbridge (wireless) charged with his murder. However, Emily Tempest did not believe that Wireless killed Doc and continue to investigate. The readers of Gunshot Road will continue to follow the twist and turns of Emily's investigation.
Gunshot Road is an excellent squeal of Diamond Dove I enjoyed reading Gunshot Road. I like the writing style of Adrian Hyland in the way he makes each chapter has it is own title an excellent way for me to understand the theme of each chapter. I love Adrian Hyland portrayal of his characters especially Emily Tempest. While reading Gunshot Road, I laughed, and other times I cried.
Adrian Hyland did a great job in portraying the Indigenous people culture and language. Also, Adrian Hyland did a great job in describing Australian outback to his readers. The readers of Gunshot Road will learn the role of Aboriginal Community Police Officer (ACPO) to the Northern Territory Law Enforcement. Also, readers will realise the problems and distance law enforcement have in Northern Territory.
I recommend this book
Gunshot Road is an excellent squeal of Diamond Dove I enjoyed reading Gunshot Road. I like the writing style of Adrian Hyland in the way he makes each chapter has it is own title an excellent way for me to understand the theme of each chapter. I love Adrian Hyland portrayal of his characters especially Emily Tempest. While reading Gunshot Road, I laughed, and other times I cried.
Adrian Hyland did a great job in portraying the Indigenous people culture and language. Also, Adrian Hyland did a great job in describing Australian outback to his readers. The readers of Gunshot Road will learn the role of Aboriginal Community Police Officer (ACPO) to the Northern Territory Law Enforcement. Also, readers will realise the problems and distance law enforcement have in Northern Territory.
I recommend this book
January 14, 2012
Myth and history will always lie dormant in the human subconscious. Perhaps this is the attraction of Adrian Hyland's mysteries, set in the backwater of Australia's Northern Territory. His first book, MOONLIGHT DOWNS, introduced us to Emily Tempest. Half aborigine, Emily grew up in the mining camps and out in the bush listening to the song cycles and absorbing the lore of the sacred clan sites. Smart and ambitious, she left, went to university, traveled, and then discovered her center belonged where she was born, back with the people she knew. She is also prickly, brutally direct, and uncompromising. The result is an unusual literary encounter with someone most of us would be uncomfortable confronting in real life. Perhaps she is a proxy for our own vicarious desires. We become eager followers even when we know she's acting impulsively.
GUNSHOT ROAD finds Emily starting a new job as an aborigine liaison with the local police. Her situation brings into focus the distance between “blackfeller law” and the iron-clad protocols of “white law.” Hyland escapes obvious cliches by letting us see the world through Emily's eyes. We meet a colorful assortment: Hardscrabble prospectors, alcoholics, scavengers and artists. There is no attempt to romanticize the living conditions. At one domicile, a character makes tea. “...he pulled a packet of Teddy Bear biscuits from the cupboard, blew away the weevils delicately.” The punishing heat, choking dust and bugs are constant reminders of physical discomfort, offset only by the intense being of the landscape.
Hyland retains the ability to thread fragmented incidents and feelings into Emily's metaphorically expressed intuitions. In this sense, the book is much more of a character driven mystery, rather than a clever puzzler. The writing is laced with caricature. After listening to Emily's suspicions, Cockburn, her uptight boss “...gave a reasonable impression of a budgie straining to pass an emu egg.” It makes up for the lack of elegant clue finding we have come to associate with the mystery genre.
The book stands on its own, but I personally feel the reader will have a deeper sense of engagement by reading its predecessor, MOONLIGHT DOWNS first. Enjoyment of the series depends on the reader's investment in the character of Emily Tempest.
GUNSHOT ROAD finds Emily starting a new job as an aborigine liaison with the local police. Her situation brings into focus the distance between “blackfeller law” and the iron-clad protocols of “white law.” Hyland escapes obvious cliches by letting us see the world through Emily's eyes. We meet a colorful assortment: Hardscrabble prospectors, alcoholics, scavengers and artists. There is no attempt to romanticize the living conditions. At one domicile, a character makes tea. “...he pulled a packet of Teddy Bear biscuits from the cupboard, blew away the weevils delicately.” The punishing heat, choking dust and bugs are constant reminders of physical discomfort, offset only by the intense being of the landscape.
Hyland retains the ability to thread fragmented incidents and feelings into Emily's metaphorically expressed intuitions. In this sense, the book is much more of a character driven mystery, rather than a clever puzzler. The writing is laced with caricature. After listening to Emily's suspicions, Cockburn, her uptight boss “...gave a reasonable impression of a budgie straining to pass an emu egg.” It makes up for the lack of elegant clue finding we have come to associate with the mystery genre.
The book stands on its own, but I personally feel the reader will have a deeper sense of engagement by reading its predecessor, MOONLIGHT DOWNS first. Enjoyment of the series depends on the reader's investment in the character of Emily Tempest.
August 29, 2011
As I began my journey along Gunshot Road, I have to admit that I was more than a little dubious. The main character of the novel, Emily Tempest is a young female Aboriginal woman. The author, Adrian Hyland is a middle-aged, white Australian male - but boy did he nail the characterisation!
And what a fantastic character Emily Tempest is. She has been persuaded by the Police Superintendent of the small outback Australian town, Bluebush to become the Aboriginal Community Police Officer. Emily and her mob have had a long distrust of the law and Emily joining the force is a surprising move, both for Emily and her indigenous friends.
Emily Tempest says what she thinks, relies heavily on intuition, has a problem with authority and her policework is unconventional to say the least. And the death at the Green Swamp Well Roadhouse only complicates matters. Her boss thinks it’s an open and shut case with the homicide resulting from two alcoholics having a violent disagreement. Emily believes there is more to it, and investigates further.
After meeting a few of the locals like Magpie, Danny, Jojo and Jet the Asian artist, the action and danger begins to mount. Interwoven amidst the intrigue is some wonderful earthy humour and an insight into indigenous life in a remote 'struggle street' town. Hyland doesn't shy away from the real-life issues that many fringe-dwelling Aboriginal communities face. At various times the reader is confronted with child abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, sexual abuse, poverty and racism. Despite the setbacks, the wonderful spirit of the people shines through. We gain an insight into the high esteem the younger Aboriginal people have for their elders, and the love and respect the indigenous people have for their land.
This is a wonderful Australian crime fiction novel. It is well-researched and the characters are intriguing, funny and even inspirational. The plot is clever and gathers momentum at the right time, and I liked the overall pace of the novel. Emily Tempest is a fascinating character and I adore her outlook on life, and can only hope that Adrian Hyland has a few more Emily Tempest novels in the works!
And what a fantastic character Emily Tempest is. She has been persuaded by the Police Superintendent of the small outback Australian town, Bluebush to become the Aboriginal Community Police Officer. Emily and her mob have had a long distrust of the law and Emily joining the force is a surprising move, both for Emily and her indigenous friends.
Emily Tempest says what she thinks, relies heavily on intuition, has a problem with authority and her policework is unconventional to say the least. And the death at the Green Swamp Well Roadhouse only complicates matters. Her boss thinks it’s an open and shut case with the homicide resulting from two alcoholics having a violent disagreement. Emily believes there is more to it, and investigates further.
After meeting a few of the locals like Magpie, Danny, Jojo and Jet the Asian artist, the action and danger begins to mount. Interwoven amidst the intrigue is some wonderful earthy humour and an insight into indigenous life in a remote 'struggle street' town. Hyland doesn't shy away from the real-life issues that many fringe-dwelling Aboriginal communities face. At various times the reader is confronted with child abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, sexual abuse, poverty and racism. Despite the setbacks, the wonderful spirit of the people shines through. We gain an insight into the high esteem the younger Aboriginal people have for their elders, and the love and respect the indigenous people have for their land.
This is a wonderful Australian crime fiction novel. It is well-researched and the characters are intriguing, funny and even inspirational. The plot is clever and gathers momentum at the right time, and I liked the overall pace of the novel. Emily Tempest is a fascinating character and I adore her outlook on life, and can only hope that Adrian Hyland has a few more Emily Tempest novels in the works!
December 3, 2018
Setting: Northern Territory, Australia; present day. Emily Tempest is half aborigine and just landed a job as an Aboriginal Community Police Officer (ACPO) - part of the police force but with not all of their powers. With some trepidation, she faces up to working with white police officers who judge people more by their colour than their abilities. She is at least comfortable with the thought of working with the current Superintendent, who she knows, only to find he is in hospital and an incomer from Queensland, a stickler for procedures, is now running the show. When the team is called to investigate the murder of a local geologist, all evidence points to a friend of his who was sleeping in his house at the time. But what appears cut and dried to her colleagues is not so obvious to Emily and she soon manages to upset her new boss by her refusal to accept his decision. Emily puts herself at risk time and again as she blunders through her own investigation to try and identify the real culprit. This was an excellent read and I loved the Australian Outback setting - close to a 5 star read for me but it would have been better with a glossary of some of the aboriginal words and Australian slang phrases - 4.5 stars (9/10).
July 22, 2023
In this second book featuring aboriginal police officer Emily Tempest, she has just started her new job in the Northern Territory and doesn't ingratiate herself with her new boss when she decides that there is more to the murder of a local geologist than first meets the eye. Excellent storyline and great setting - 9/10.
January 13, 2011
Having devoured Diamond Dove in a few hours I took a days break to finish another book before diving into Gunshot Road.
Emily Tempest has been recruited at a liason for the police force, an attempt perhaps to keep her impulsiveness in check, but it's not long before she is in the middle of another murder. The cops, especially the buy-the-book Acting Seargent, are happy to treat it as an open and shut case yet Emily's personal connection to the suspect and victim won't let her accept the easy answer. Her own investigation starts to pull loose some tantalising threads but this time Emily can't unravel the mess fast enough and pays a heavy price.
I have just finished posting a rather overlong and effusive review for the first Emily Tempest book, Diamond Dove and I feel I could do so here for Gunshot Road. Mostly for all the same reasons - the evocative and finely crafted writing, the fascinating characters and authentic Australian voice. This sequel however has a much darker and grittier edge than was present in the previous installment. Hyland delves deeper into the flaws of the community - the violence, poverty and lack of resources, but manages to not let it sink into the mire. There are wonderful flashes of humor, warmth and connection that humanises the people and the land.
Familiar characters return and new characters take on a role, Wishy the victim's brother and his family, including the incorrigible Tiger Lily, and Danny the sensitive Aboriginal teen who unwittingly becomes a target of a murderer.
In some ways I think Gunshot Road is better that Diamond Dove particularly in terms of story, the plot is stronger and tighter. It has an emotional depth that is unflinchingly honest. The threads of the mystery are teased out and twined together to create tension that leads to an explosive confrontation.
I hope that Hyland may consider a third in this series though there was quite a gap (4 years or so) between these two. I highly recommend you read Diamond Dove before Gunshot Road though it isn't strictly necessary, you will appreciate the background.
Emily Tempest has been recruited at a liason for the police force, an attempt perhaps to keep her impulsiveness in check, but it's not long before she is in the middle of another murder. The cops, especially the buy-the-book Acting Seargent, are happy to treat it as an open and shut case yet Emily's personal connection to the suspect and victim won't let her accept the easy answer. Her own investigation starts to pull loose some tantalising threads but this time Emily can't unravel the mess fast enough and pays a heavy price.
I have just finished posting a rather overlong and effusive review for the first Emily Tempest book, Diamond Dove and I feel I could do so here for Gunshot Road. Mostly for all the same reasons - the evocative and finely crafted writing, the fascinating characters and authentic Australian voice. This sequel however has a much darker and grittier edge than was present in the previous installment. Hyland delves deeper into the flaws of the community - the violence, poverty and lack of resources, but manages to not let it sink into the mire. There are wonderful flashes of humor, warmth and connection that humanises the people and the land.
Familiar characters return and new characters take on a role, Wishy the victim's brother and his family, including the incorrigible Tiger Lily, and Danny the sensitive Aboriginal teen who unwittingly becomes a target of a murderer.
In some ways I think Gunshot Road is better that Diamond Dove particularly in terms of story, the plot is stronger and tighter. It has an emotional depth that is unflinchingly honest. The threads of the mystery are teased out and twined together to create tension that leads to an explosive confrontation.
I hope that Hyland may consider a third in this series though there was quite a gap (4 years or so) between these two. I highly recommend you read Diamond Dove before Gunshot Road though it isn't strictly necessary, you will appreciate the background.
July 3, 2011
Emily is extremely gutsy. At one point in the plot I thought she had been totally reckless, and was "too stupid to live". Then I saw how she survived the situation. So I decided that she isn't reckless. She takes extraordinary risks, but they are calculated risks because she knows that she can get out of those tight spots herself. She's an action hero who is both intelligent and intuitive.
I loved the aborigine cultural content especially the use of the Dreamtime. In the Dreamtime there is no past, present and future. Time doesn't pass the same way it does in consensus reality. So what seems impossible can happen in the Dreamtime.
There was a serious environmental issue involved in this case. It's an issue that has reared its ugly head in many parts of the world. Corporate interests will commit the most outrageous crimes so long as they can get away with it. It's important to publicize that these sorts of things are happening.
I loved the aborigine cultural content especially the use of the Dreamtime. In the Dreamtime there is no past, present and future. Time doesn't pass the same way it does in consensus reality. So what seems impossible can happen in the Dreamtime.
There was a serious environmental issue involved in this case. It's an issue that has reared its ugly head in many parts of the world. Corporate interests will commit the most outrageous crimes so long as they can get away with it. It's important to publicize that these sorts of things are happening.
November 27, 2015
Set in the Australian outback and featuring a half-Aboriginal, half-white young woman who has been newly appointed to the post of Aboriginal Community police officer, this book's main highlights were the great characters and fascinating setting. The plot was perhaps a bit convoluted but the suspense factor was very high and I hope there will be further adventures at some point.
December 29, 2017
Trigger warnings: graphic rape, murder, racial slurs.
So here's the thing: I found this on the shelf at work and was like "OOOOH, CRIME NOVEL SET IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY WITH A INDIGENOUS FEMALE PROTAGONIST?? SOLD." And then I realised it was written by a white man. So...I was intrigued but also super hesitant going into it.
First things first: this is the second book in a series. I have not read the first book in the series. But I read it anyway because in my experience, you can usually read the second book of a crime series without too many issues joining the dots. This...was less along those lines. There was very little in it introducing characters and relationships from the first book, so I constantly felt like I was only getting part of the story.
But whatever.
I felt like this was...slightly disjointed? You'd be following the murder for a while. And then Emily would go off on some little mission of her own that ultimately served no purpose. And you'd just get used to that and then she'd jump back to investigating the murder again. Which, no thanks.
Add in a graphic scene in which the protagonist is raped and the fact that Hyland basically created an Indigenous people solely for the purpose of writing these books, and...no thanks. Also, it took me a thousand years to read. Which is basically unheard of for me.
At least the cover is great?
So here's the thing: I found this on the shelf at work and was like "OOOOH, CRIME NOVEL SET IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY WITH A INDIGENOUS FEMALE PROTAGONIST?? SOLD." And then I realised it was written by a white man. So...I was intrigued but also super hesitant going into it.
First things first: this is the second book in a series. I have not read the first book in the series. But I read it anyway because in my experience, you can usually read the second book of a crime series without too many issues joining the dots. This...was less along those lines. There was very little in it introducing characters and relationships from the first book, so I constantly felt like I was only getting part of the story.
But whatever.
I felt like this was...slightly disjointed? You'd be following the murder for a while. And then Emily would go off on some little mission of her own that ultimately served no purpose. And you'd just get used to that and then she'd jump back to investigating the murder again. Which, no thanks.
Add in a graphic scene in which the protagonist is raped and the fact that Hyland basically created an Indigenous people solely for the purpose of writing these books, and...no thanks. Also, it took me a thousand years to read. Which is basically unheard of for me.
At least the cover is great?
March 29, 2017
The setting for this book is well outside my experience so to me it is exotic, as in hot and foreign, not luxurious in any shape, manner or form. This is a tough, gritty novel in action and language but also mystical and slightly dreamlike. A strangely compelling mixture. I found the details of aboriginal culture fascinating although I already had some idea of their difficulties in western society.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in a different slant on a fairly standard thriller plot.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in a different slant on a fairly standard thriller plot.
August 26, 2020
Loved these two books set somewhere in Central Australia, with a female indigenous protagonist who straddles both the world of remote indigenous communities and white fella ways. Reads as a thriller/mystery whilst also allowing us into worlds we normally wouldn't get access to. The writer also has a great sense of humour. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
May 14, 2012
Diamond Dove, Adrian Hyland’s first Emily Tempest novel, was one of my books of 2009. It was with great anticipation then that I waited for Gunshot Road. The novel lived up to my expectations. In Emily Tempest, Hyland has created a wonderfully engaging character; half-aboriginal, half-white, she oscillates between two worlds. Quick witted, head-strong, caring and obstinate, she ploughs her own unique path through life. In fact, the whole book is populated with well penned characters that have depth and inner life. Hyland does a great job of immersing the reader in the small, fractious communities and strained social relations of outback Australia, creating a vivid sense of place. And he has wonderful, expressive turn of phrase and lively and witty prose. The storytelling, as a whole is excellent, the plotting and narrative strong, particularly in the first half of the book. The second half does suffer a little from an attempt to build tension through a series of multiple pressure points, and increasingly shorter chapters. That said, this really is a great read and one I’ve already recommended to friends.
April 23, 2018
An entertaining read...rich in a variety of characters, which were sometimes hard to keep track of. Emily's observations and comments reflect the dry, sober thoughts of the harsh Outback, often with hilarious moments that had me in stitches. I want to give this book a 4.5 rating. But I'll have to settle for a little less... 4.3
Although I never wanted to put the book down, I found the story longer than it needed to be. For me the plot, finding Doc's killer, paled into insignificance because I enjoyed Emily's journey in her quest to find his killer and her tenacity to help Danny from a fate that befalls so many lost souls at the devil's doorstep of drug abuse.
You might say, isn't that contrary? For some reason, I wasn't driven mad by wanting to know who killed Doc, I just wanted to ride with Emily every step she took, every person she hassled, and go along to follow her next move...
The 'who-dunnit' part does finally come...and provides closure.
Generally, the unconvoluted writing makes it an easy and fun read, apart from a few words thrown in that I needed a dictionary for, to get the meaning. As a reader, I prefer everyday language. I mean, what is interlocutor? Or imprimatur? It annoyed me, and made me feel as if I should know these words. And I am an author.
In all, a must read ...
Although I never wanted to put the book down, I found the story longer than it needed to be. For me the plot, finding Doc's killer, paled into insignificance because I enjoyed Emily's journey in her quest to find his killer and her tenacity to help Danny from a fate that befalls so many lost souls at the devil's doorstep of drug abuse.
You might say, isn't that contrary? For some reason, I wasn't driven mad by wanting to know who killed Doc, I just wanted to ride with Emily every step she took, every person she hassled, and go along to follow her next move...
The 'who-dunnit' part does finally come...and provides closure.
Generally, the unconvoluted writing makes it an easy and fun read, apart from a few words thrown in that I needed a dictionary for, to get the meaning. As a reader, I prefer everyday language. I mean, what is interlocutor? Or imprimatur? It annoyed me, and made me feel as if I should know these words. And I am an author.
In all, a must read ...
August 31, 2019
I always enjoy discovering a new mystery series and Hyland's Emily Tempest series is a new one for me. I enjoyed the second book of the series, Gunshot Road. Emily Tempest has recently taken a position Aboriginal Community Police Officer, and on her first day on the job things start to happen. She stumbles upon and accident and then a crazy old miner named Doc is murdered.
Emily is unconventional and relies on gut feelings which doesn't sit well with her supervisor. I find Emily immensely entertaining and I like her ballsiness, but she doesn't always feel feminine to me.
The story-line is a bit far-fetched and I relied on my ability to suspend disbelief to enjoy it. That being said I look forward to more of this series.
Emily is unconventional and relies on gut feelings which doesn't sit well with her supervisor. I find Emily immensely entertaining and I like her ballsiness, but she doesn't always feel feminine to me.
The story-line is a bit far-fetched and I relied on my ability to suspend disbelief to enjoy it. That being said I look forward to more of this series.
March 1, 2023
Think this is the second Emily Tempest book, following on from the impressive Diamond Dove and it is pretty good too.
Emily is seen joining the local police as a sort of auxiliary officer, which is never going to end well under the leadership of the new Bruce Cockburn, a man bound by protocol and procedure. McGillivray, who Emily gets on well with is on sick leave after suffering an assault.
You have to mix up a mixture of troubled black youths, assorted miscreants and grifters and the local mining company to set the scene. Not worth trying to explain the plot but the descriptions of the cast of characters and the land are really good. The plot unfolds slowly and I sort of guessed some of it but by no means all. If you like books set in Australia you should like it.
Emily is seen joining the local police as a sort of auxiliary officer, which is never going to end well under the leadership of the new Bruce Cockburn, a man bound by protocol and procedure. McGillivray, who Emily gets on well with is on sick leave after suffering an assault.
You have to mix up a mixture of troubled black youths, assorted miscreants and grifters and the local mining company to set the scene. Not worth trying to explain the plot but the descriptions of the cast of characters and the land are really good. The plot unfolds slowly and I sort of guessed some of it but by no means all. If you like books set in Australia you should like it.
January 8, 2025
Better than the first in the series but with all the elements that made that one good.
Genuine insights and descriptions of indigenous communities with all the strengths and disasters plus a good enough twisty plot, terrific outback characters, none of them Crocodile Dundee, a kick-ass heroine plus social and environmental concerns that are never preachy.
Strong, clever, funny writing - he describes someone’s ears as ‘glowing like radioactive apricots
‘ - plenty of eye catching phrases like that.
The setting and dynamics feel very genuine which is not surprising with the author’s time spent in the real outback.
Genuine insights and descriptions of indigenous communities with all the strengths and disasters plus a good enough twisty plot, terrific outback characters, none of them Crocodile Dundee, a kick-ass heroine plus social and environmental concerns that are never preachy.
Strong, clever, funny writing - he describes someone’s ears as ‘glowing like radioactive apricots
‘ - plenty of eye catching phrases like that.
The setting and dynamics feel very genuine which is not surprising with the author’s time spent in the real outback.
January 7, 2026
A friend gave me a copy of this book and I am in two minds about it. Adrian has a way with words that is quite special - a strong, unique voice and character descriptions that leapt off the page. It was immensely readable. However, I felt uneasy with a white man writing a story from the point of view of an Aboriginal Australian woman. I was particularly uneasy with how he describes her rape and far-too-rapid recovery. It felt like something a man could not grasp and should not write. As a non-Aboriginal woman, I couldn't help but wonder how an Aboriginal woman may feel that way about much of this novel.
August 28, 2023
Really excellent prose, a good mix of poetic descriptions and acidic witticisms. This is the second book in the series, and the second to end with the killer being almost unconnected to the plot, and total luck resolving the mystery.
The book has some very uncomfortable scenes of substance abuse and rape. It also has an awkwardly fetishizing view of aboriginal mysticism. Maybe it's not my white-guy place to complain about, but I am uncomfortable knowing it was written by a white-guy and not an aborigine author.
The book has some very uncomfortable scenes of substance abuse and rape. It also has an awkwardly fetishizing view of aboriginal mysticism. Maybe it's not my white-guy place to complain about, but I am uncomfortable knowing it was written by a white-guy and not an aborigine author.
November 4, 2017
Great female central character - "full of spit and vinegar" as they say. When I finished this I knew I'd want to read more about her. I had totally missed the fact that this was #2 in a series so I was totally delighted when I found #1 on the shelves when I returned this to the library. I am almost halfway through #1 already.
October 12, 2019
This is a 4.5 star rather than a 5 star because there are elements in the story telling that I have some difficulty with (excessive violence) but I love the feisty indigenous character, Emily Tempest. The story is layered and rich, entertaining and challenging, with the stunning background of Australia's outback.
October 11, 2022
Amazing from start to finish!
I came across this book by accident and was intrigued by the setting of Outback Australia. Wow! Great characters, great story! I’ve read a lot of murder mysteries and this one kept me guessing. I hope there are more books on Amazon by this author. If so, I will read them all.
I came across this book by accident and was intrigued by the setting of Outback Australia. Wow! Great characters, great story! I’ve read a lot of murder mysteries and this one kept me guessing. I hope there are more books on Amazon by this author. If so, I will read them all.
November 26, 2025
I didn't finish this book
There are some visual feasts of descriptions and insights into the challenges of being female, Indigenous and a police Officer
But the main character is just too good to be true...I lost interest
There are some visual feasts of descriptions and insights into the challenges of being female, Indigenous and a police Officer
But the main character is just too good to be true...I lost interest
June 15, 2019
Couldn't finish. It's not nearly as good as the first.
March 5, 2021
Took WAY too long to read. It's only barely three stars. I do like how Emily knows obscure things for a blackfella. Geology, whitefella geology, just isn't something you'd expect to read about.
Read
June 15, 2021
Trigger & Content Warnings
Racism & racial slurs
Graphic rape
Murder
Racism & racial slurs
Graphic rape
Murder
June 15, 2010
GUNSHOT ROAD is the second Emily Tempest novel from Australian author Adrian Hyland. Set in the outback of Australia, GUNSHOT ROAD has one of those magnificently authentic Australian voices that you just know comes from an author who knows his place, and his characters very very well.
Emily Tempest is a tricky woman. She's one of those mouthy, stubborn, opinionated women who will do what she believes is right, no matter who or what says no. She's going to stick to her case, she's going to support her people, she's going to follow her instinct - and everybody else, well they can like it or lump it. Either way - their choice. Emily's her own woman. Joining the police seems like an inexplicable decision for a woman like Emily. And then again, it doesn't - nothing like fighting the system from within after all. Besides, none of her colleagues have the slightest idea what or who she is or what she'll do next. Least of all somebody "Acting" as the boss. Poor Cockburn - he's new in town and he doesn't quite get the idea that you never, ever ever poke a snake with a stick.
When Doc is found dead in his shack, a hammer in his throat and his latest combatant drunk and snoring away in the bunk beside him, Cockburn and just about everybody else is happy to accept the bleeding obvious. Emily knows something's not right and she knows these people - Doc, the accused Wireless, the community, and she comes to know the artist sitting on the rockface above Doc's who can also see the strange patterns in the landscape.
DIAMOND DOVE, the first Emily Tempest novel was a really really good book, but GUNSHOT ROAD is more. Much much more. Hyland's taken this book further into country, aboriginal lore and lifestyle. Whilst weaving a tale of death, deception and much nefarious goings on, which is a reasonable puzzle, carefully laid out, and ultimately plausible. Perhaps a little too plausible. But more than that, into this western "plausibility" Hyland has seamlessly woven Aboriginal lore and dreaming. He's also not shied away from the less savoury aspects of these outback communities and the ravages of the difficult balancing act between traditional and western life for so many people. But he does that with a wonderful touch, with an inspirational feeling of true admiration and affection for these people.
I read GUNSHOT ROAD on a cold Central-Western Victorian day, sat in front of an open fire. Yet I could see the heat haze. Taste the bulldust as it swirled around my feet. Hear the beautiful, haunting, glorious sound of singing to country. I could see Emily, I could sense her exasperation, feel her frustration, hear the determination. GUNSHOT ROAD made me yearn to be out there, perhaps to come across Emily and maybe cheer a bit from a safe distance. To be privileged enough to really hear language, that singing to country and to witness the intrinsic, heartfelt, deep connection to place and a way of life. GUNSHOT ROAD has left me so very very pleased that Hyland wrote a second book, hoping there is a third, and filled with the need to pack the car and head off into the place that Hyland writes so well.
Emily Tempest is a tricky woman. She's one of those mouthy, stubborn, opinionated women who will do what she believes is right, no matter who or what says no. She's going to stick to her case, she's going to support her people, she's going to follow her instinct - and everybody else, well they can like it or lump it. Either way - their choice. Emily's her own woman. Joining the police seems like an inexplicable decision for a woman like Emily. And then again, it doesn't - nothing like fighting the system from within after all. Besides, none of her colleagues have the slightest idea what or who she is or what she'll do next. Least of all somebody "Acting" as the boss. Poor Cockburn - he's new in town and he doesn't quite get the idea that you never, ever ever poke a snake with a stick.
When Doc is found dead in his shack, a hammer in his throat and his latest combatant drunk and snoring away in the bunk beside him, Cockburn and just about everybody else is happy to accept the bleeding obvious. Emily knows something's not right and she knows these people - Doc, the accused Wireless, the community, and she comes to know the artist sitting on the rockface above Doc's who can also see the strange patterns in the landscape.
DIAMOND DOVE, the first Emily Tempest novel was a really really good book, but GUNSHOT ROAD is more. Much much more. Hyland's taken this book further into country, aboriginal lore and lifestyle. Whilst weaving a tale of death, deception and much nefarious goings on, which is a reasonable puzzle, carefully laid out, and ultimately plausible. Perhaps a little too plausible. But more than that, into this western "plausibility" Hyland has seamlessly woven Aboriginal lore and dreaming. He's also not shied away from the less savoury aspects of these outback communities and the ravages of the difficult balancing act between traditional and western life for so many people. But he does that with a wonderful touch, with an inspirational feeling of true admiration and affection for these people.
I read GUNSHOT ROAD on a cold Central-Western Victorian day, sat in front of an open fire. Yet I could see the heat haze. Taste the bulldust as it swirled around my feet. Hear the beautiful, haunting, glorious sound of singing to country. I could see Emily, I could sense her exasperation, feel her frustration, hear the determination. GUNSHOT ROAD made me yearn to be out there, perhaps to come across Emily and maybe cheer a bit from a safe distance. To be privileged enough to really hear language, that singing to country and to witness the intrinsic, heartfelt, deep connection to place and a way of life. GUNSHOT ROAD has left me so very very pleased that Hyland wrote a second book, hoping there is a third, and filled with the need to pack the car and head off into the place that Hyland writes so well.
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