Dead Heat (Goodabri #1) in Aussie Readers

Feb 25, 2012 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own-read, aussie-authors, mystery, suspense

Jo Lockwood has only been in her new job for a few months, and she loves it. She’s a National Parks Ranger, often alone with her thoughts in the bush of New South Wales, at peace with nature and the wildlife surrounding her. But one day, after coming across a campsite which had been recently vandalized, she saw a wild dingo, and to her horror, it appeared to have a HAND in it’s mouth! Shuddering, but knowing she had to do it, she followed the dingo’s track into the bush, where she came across th ...more

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Feb 25, 2012 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-author

Set in Australia's rural scrub, Dead Heat is an thrilling story of suspense and romance. National Parks ranger Jo Lockwood stumbles across a body at an isolated picnic ground, the young man had been tortured before his death and drugs are found at the scene. Detective Nick Matheson is brought in to investigate and with his past experience as an undercover officer, recognises that Jo is at risk from the assassin, especially as the body count rises and it becomes clear there is a leak in the task Set in Australia's rural scrub, Dead Heat is an thrilling story of suspense and romance. National Parks ranger Jo Lockwood stumbles across a body at an isolated picnic ground, the young man had been tortured before his death and drugs are found at the scene. Detective Nick Matheson is brought in to investigate and with his past experience as an undercover officer, recognises that Jo is at risk from the assassin, especially as the body count rises and it becomes clear there is a leak in the task force. Threatened by police corruption, bush fire and a ruthless gang of drug crazed killers, Jo and Nick are forced to fight for their lives.

With its somewhat grisly opening, it quickly becomes clear that Dead Heat places the emphasis on the suspense elements of the book. The country is often viewed as an idyllic setting free from the crime that plagues urban centers but Parry demonstrates it is also an ideal setting for illegal activity given its isolation. This is a strongly plotted novel that incorporates organised crime, police corruption, gang activity and murder in a fast paced and exciting story. I reluctantly put it aside only to attend to my family's pleas for a meal. The threat from a sniper keeps the tension wound tight as does the brutality of the deaths of those connected with the case, the violence is not gratuitous but is fairly explicit. There are some great twists, a conscienceless killer means his moves are unpredictable, and while not all of the elements of the plot are credible, the action keeps the pages turning.
I had expected that Jo would be the key protagonist of Dead Heat but she shares the role with Nick and the third person perspective means we know what they are both thinking and feeling. I liked Jo but her characters reserve prevented me from identifying strongly with her. I didn't feel I learnt as much about her, apart from her love for the job and her grief at the loss of her fiance, as I would have liked. Nick's history helps to flesh out his character, his tragic childhood plays a part in the drama of Dead Heat as does his complicated immediate past as an undercover officer.
The romantic relationship between Jo and Nick relies on a physical attraction that is intensified by the tense circumstances they find themselves in. Both are shy of commitment, Jo's fiance died in a search and rescue incident and Nick has avoided relationships for years due to the dangerous nature of his undercover work. Though accelerated, their connection that doesn't feel forced and sensibly, Parry doesn't insist they declare undying love for each other but makes the potential of the relationship clear.

Bronwyn Parry is another author I have discovered thanks to the Australian Women Writers challenge, this is her third book and I have every intention of reading the first two, As Darkness Falls and Dark Country. Dead Heat is an exciting and engaging blend of crime, suspense and romantic fiction, with interesting characters and a fast paced story in an uniquely Australia setting. ...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Bree T rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, australian, mystery, crime, library-reads, aww2012, rural-lit

Jo Lockwood is a National Parks Ranger who has recently taken up a new job at a newly-declared State Forest in north-western NSW. The solitary life doesn’t much bother her, she enjoys her own company and the peacefulness that comes from working with nature. That peace is shattered when she discovers the dead body of a man who has been brutally tortured not far off a walking track.

Detective Nick Matheson is also starting a new job. He’s a former undercover officer who was involved in a scandal wh Jo Lockwood is a National Parks Ranger who has recently taken up a new job at a newly-declared State Forest in north-western NSW. The solitary life doesn’t much bother her, she enjoys her own company and the peacefulness that comes from working with nature. That peace is shattered when she discovers the dead body of a man who has been brutally tortured not far off a walking track.

Detective Nick Matheson is also starting a new job. He’s a former undercover officer who was involved in a scandal when an operation went wrong and now he finds himself in a supposedly quiet area in northern NSW where the peace is disrupted by Jo’s discovery of a body. Nick is immediately suspicious about certain things about the murder and crime scene – to him this doesn’t look like a once off. It isn’t long before they dig up some links to an unsolved murder on the Mid North Coast of NSW and some whispers of an infiltrating overseas group.

Jo and Nick realise before long that it seems Jo may have inadvertently spoken to the leader of this organisation and because of that, could identify him. Her life is now in great danger and Nick wants to protect her. Jo is determined not to leave the area though, consenting to police protection in her own house but the bodies keep coming and before long Jo realises that this danger is not going to go away until one of them – her or the leader – is dead.

Dead Heat is the latest novel from Bronwyn Parry and it had been on my radar for a little while. I’d seen some good reviews and I do love a good suspenseful mystery. When I finally got my hands on it by way of my local library, I was definitely not disappointed. Dead Heat opens with a bang with Jo discovering the body of a dead man that, they later discover, has been tortured horribly before finally being shot.

I’ve been reading a lot of rural lit lately, a genre that I have mentioned before on the blog as gaining a lot in popularity in recent times. Usually they’re set on farms and although I’d include this in the broad spectrum of rural lit there are a few differences. The setting is undeniably rural, deep in north-western NSW in a made-up town that sounds suspiciously like a couple of real towns, name-wise. A large area has just been given over to official National Park status and it’s Jo’s job to keep law and order around the various camp grounds, walking tracks and also to supervise backburning and/or the putting out of deliberately or accidentally lit fires with the support of the CFA (Country Fire Authority). There’s a lot of appreciation for the land in this book, Jo in particular has a real affinity for it and it’s clear she loves her job. She suffered a trauma in recent times and she’s moved location to perhaps escape the memories. She seems very comfortable in her own company either at home or out in the bush, alone out there with only her camera.

In terms of characterisation, I felt that both Nick and Jo were very strong. Nick comes from a very poor and violent background, dragged himself out of it and made detective in the police force, going into some very dangerous undercover operations. He has an inner strength and discipline that is necessary for his job, that has allowed him to do things for his work. He has played many roles and sometimes feels as though it is hard to be just ‘Nick’ and that people are wary of him because of the rumours and scandal that has surrounded him.

There is an element of romance in this book but it remains mostly in the background. There’s an immediate attraction between Nick and Jo but both of them work hard to suppress it. The story of the murders and who is behind them is always first and the most important part of the book. Parry takes a long time to build her story, carefully fleshing out details and weaving an intricate crime web that is quite impressive! Nick and Jo spend a lot of time together under the guise of Nick protecting Jo from a very real danger and I appreciated that – they get to know each other with Nick being able to relax himself just a bit and actually talk to someone as his own person, rather than just a character he has undertaken in order to complete a job. Both of them have had some pain in their past and they aren’t sure they can see a future together, given Nick’s job. They talk about things, primarily the case and I thought that Nick sharing things with her and Jo sharing things that she finds out, was very refreshing. All too often I read mystery/crime novels where the characters all keep secrets from each other, presumably to draw out the suspense and lengthen the time until things are solved which usually only serves to frustrate me! I appreciated this novel because the criminal is identified early on into the story and the book then revolves around actually catching him.

Dead Heat was a wonderful read – it drew me in right from the beginning and kept me intrigued all the way. It’s Bronwyn Parry’s third novel and I’ll definitely be tracking down her previous two to read as well because I very much enjoyed the way she writes. I also enjoyed the unique setting, showcasing the lovely natural bush that can be found in much of the north of my home state. ...more

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Mar 24, 2012 Helen rated it it was amazing

This is such a great story Nick and Jo are such tortured people with a lot to overcome before they can learn to trust and what they go through in this edge of your seat suspense wil have you up late and turning the pages.

Bronwyn writes such deatailed and amazing stories and I loved this one and fell into it from the first chapter Nick is such a fantastic hero and Jo so strong and amazing. The other characters in the story add so much to this one.

Highly recomend thanks Bronwyn for hours of readin ...more

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