Author: Fleur McDonald
ISBN: 978-1-76029-395-6
RRP: $29.99
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
Fleur McDonald has made a name for herself in the rural genre but the novels I have read of hers have been more suspenseful. Suddenly One Summer is her tenth novel and another colourful rural fiction heavy on suspense.
I finished reading this too long ago and let life get in the way, now I’m unmotivated and procrastinating so have spent too much time thinking about some of the characters in McDonald’s work.
The leading lady in Suddenly One Summer is Brianna Donahue, a West Australian farmer, wife and mother whose own mother mysteriously disappeared when she was just three years old. Her body has never been recovered so there has been no closure for Brianna and her father Russell as they continue to farm in Merriwell Bay where she disappeared from.
Brianna is spread thin with her work on the farm and raising the boys almost single-handedly while Caleb is a fly-in fly-out criminal lawyer in Perth.
In a horrific birthday disaster her eldest son Trent goes missing early one sweltering summer morning. The search is heart-breaking and enough to bring back memories of a long ago search that didn’t end so well. Trent is found but this sparks a series of events that leave us questioning much of what is going on in the story.
Across the border in small town South Australia Detective Dave Burrows, who has featured in previous novels, receives a call from an elderly farmer reporting stolen sheep. The first visit to the farm shows Dave and his parner that the farmer is beginning to show signs of dementia, and he is living all alone. Detective Burrows is not one to turn his back on someone who is clearly in need and does his best to try and find help for him.
Detective Burrows is the character I spent too much of the afternoon thinking about because I know he is a recurring character in at least some of McDonald’s novels but I’m not sure just how many. These novels are all stand alone, there is no series, but Detective Burrows and his wife Kim have featured in multiple though I’m not sure how many.
Alternating chapters tell the unfolding story of Brianna, her rocky marriage and life on the farm; and the interesting case Detective Burrows is investigating of the missing sheep. All the while you are left wondering how the stories are connected.
As if speculation about the connections between Brianna and the Burrows case isn’t enough to keep you turning pages long after lights out there is also the scattered snippets about a mysterious badly beaten woman found wandering the highway with complete amnesia.
McDonald has written a suspenseful jigsaw of a story that doesn’t fall into place until the final long held secrets are brought to light.
I live in a small country town, it’s a town that’s growing and isn’t that far from suburbia, but I really have no idea about life on a farm. I know that things are different on a farm and life for kids is different, there are different responsibilities and different rules but I couldn’t get past the ages of the children in this one, I feel that I would have connected better had they been a few years older. This may be normal freedoms for farm life but I couldn’t get my head around it or come to grips.
Suddenly One Summer was a book that kept me guessing with suspenseful storylines, slow burning clue drops and a big finish. I really enjoyed it and it was another one that made me want to go back and catch up on all the novels in her backlist that I have missed.
Suddenly One Summer returns McDonald to her rural roots after the release of The Missing Pieces of Us earlier this year. She is definitely not an author to miss and I will be keeping her on my watch list. Her next release is another novel with Det. Burrows and I will keep it on my radar.
Suddenly One Summer is book #47 for the Australian Women Writer’s Challenge 2017.
Fleur McDonald loves to hear from her readers and you can find her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Suddenly One Summer is published by Allen & Unwin and available now from Angus & Robertson Bookworld, Booktopia and where all good books are sold.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin 20 of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading Suddenly One Summer so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
Fleur McDonald is one of my favourite authors and Suddenly One Summer certainly didn’t disappoint, right from the first page I was sucked in!!!
Brianna Donahue works the family farm with her father Russell in Western Australia’s Merriwell Bay as well as raising her two sons single handedly a lot of time whilst her husband Caleb flys in and out with his job as a lawyer in Perth.
Set during a scorching summer Brianna’s young son goes missing one hot summers morning, as neighbours and friends gather to frantically search for Trent, Brianna realises her marriage is in trouble. Adding to the stress is the memories the search stirs up for Russell when 30 years a go a similar search was mounted for Brianna’s mother who went missing without a trace and has never been found.
Then in Barker, South Australia Detective Dave Burrows meets an elderly farmer Guy who has reported stock missing, Guy has the early stages of dementia, when doing some searching if Guy has any family Dave’s wife mentions a sister that may or may have not existed.
Intigued by the rumours around Guys family history Dave decides to do some digging. Dave’s investigation will have direct impact on Brianna’s world, but just what does he uncover?
Meanwhile Brianna continues to farm, her one constant whilst her personal life is becoming tattered.
A bushfire brings everything to a head, just what has Dave discovered, what happened to Brianna’s mother all those years ago and will her marriage to Caleb survive?
Suddenly One Summer crosses between the two states and story lines easily without leaving you confused, always keeping you intrigued and guessing with the little clues that are given along the way.
I love how Fleur brings Dave in to each of her stories tying them altogether with a common character.
Huge thanks to Allen & Unwin and Beauty & Lace for the chance to review Suddenly One Summer, it’s a read I’d highly recommend.
This book was that good, I had this one finished in 2 days. I just couldn’t put it down as was not predictable with Briannas boys accident and why it happened and who was involved…… Some very clever writing here from Fleur that’s for sure.
Had me thinking I wish the ending was different and was wishing and hoping until the epilogue delivered what I had wanted.
I am so thankful to all that made it possible for me to read this as it was high on my book of, “REALLY LIKED AND ENJOYED”
I would recommend it to anyone who wants a book they find hard to put down, to definitely pick up this one. I will be handing it over to one of my friends knowing she’ll love it.
This one will keep you guessing and just when you think you are on the right track, it will surprise you….. Well it did me anyway.
Fleur is an author of talent and definitely a top favourite of mine now. Will be reading more of hers.
Thanks Beautiful beauty and lace and Allen and Unwin, you made my weekend full of great reading and relaxation.
Thankyou Beautyandlace and Allen&Unwin for allowing me to read and review ‘Suddenly One Summer’ by Fleur McDonald, truly and amazingly great read.
Brianna is mother to eight and six year old boýs referred lovingly by all as ‘the terrors’.
She is married to Caleb a lawyer who commutes from Merriwell Bay where they live, to Perth. This is putting a strain on their marriage, and the fact that Caleb is never there when she needs him the most!
Briannà’s life is farming her father Russell is also on a farm and they are very close as he has brought her up àfter her mother going mìssing when she was three years old.
The farming side was so interesting bringing back to me, memories of invòlvement in that lìfe.
The descriptions in this book were wonderful and the characters so reaĺ. There is just so much going on, many characters interwoven with their own stories to tell.
I have read other books written by Fleur all interesting and absorbing, her plots are clever and you can never predict the outcome. She’s a super author and one I’ll còntinue to follow!
‘Suddenly One summer’ is an easy read and one that keeps you guessing.
Brianna is a farming Mum with two ‘terrors’ 8 year old Trent and 6 year old Beau. She is married to Caleb a high flying lawyer who is a partner in a law firm in Perth. Caleb flies in and out of Merriwell Bay and Brianna is wondering if her marriage is going to work. The stress and the loneliness of doing it all on her own is wearing thin.
On Brianna’s birthday Trent goes missing and this really makes Brianna realise all is not well with her marriage. Neighbours and friends set out to find Trent with Brianna and her father Russell; who farms the family land with his daughter. The search for Trent brings back memories for Russell and Brianna of her mother going missing and never being found well over 30 years ago. Brianna is very close to her father and loves living on the family farm.
In an alternate story in a small rural town in South Australia Detective Dave Burrows is called out to check on an elderly farmer, Guy Wood. Guy claims several hundred sheep have been stolen but it appears he may have dementia. Dave talks to his wife Kim about Guy and she recalls a strange events related to the family. Dave becomes intrigued and starts researching the history of the family.
How does this link back to Brianna? How does the lives of 2 complete strangers intersect.
A terrifying bushfire is the catalyst to finding out what Dave discovers; what really happened to Brianna’s mother and whether Brianna’s marriage will survive.
There is mystery and intrigue and it really does keep you guessing. Suddenly One summer is quite a gripping suspense novel which I really enjoyed. Highly recommend it. 4/5
Thanks to Allen and unwin and Beauty and Lace for the chance to read. Review also appears on Goodreads.
Thank you to the Beauty And Lace Book club for allowing me to read and review this book.
I found Suddenly One Summer to be a page turner which had many twists and turns which made for interesting reading.
I would recommend this book to anybody who enjoys books based in rural Australia. I will definately be on the look out for more books by Fleur McDonald to read in the future.
Suddenly One Summer!
Mixed emotions reading this story and all the while trying to work out the links between the different characters living in diferent areas. From Merriwell Bay, Western Australia to Barker, South Australia to Port Augusta. Fleur McDonald has written to keep you interested in the characters which include Brianna and her family, her father Russell and his girlfriend Annie, Dave the Detective and his investigative skills including each story character as a main part of the novel. A story with a difference, outback Australia, characters, suspense, intrigue, family values and relationships are all part of this unigue story.
Sad the way of the ending but I see happiness as a new adventure and now hoping for more! A novel worth putting other things aside for so you can enjoy the story.
A terrific story by a terrific author!
Brianna Donahue is a hard-working farmer (and detests the term ‘farmer’s wife), married to a lawyer named Caleb who is often away in Perth for work purposes.
Together, they have two boys aged 8 and 6 and reside in WA.
When Brianna was only 3 years old, her mother went missing and her body was never found. The mystery surrounding her disappearance is something that Brianna and her father Russell find difficult to accept.
On Brianna’s birthday, she realises that her son Trent has gone missing, and she is of course frantic with worry. Thankfully, with the help and support of her father and friends, Trent is found alive and safe.
But it makes Brianna realise that life is short, and that there are problems in her marriage that may not be worth fixing.
We then cross to Detective Dave Burrows in SA, who investigates a report from an elderly gent named Guy who is showing signs of dementia. But as the Detective looks further into Guy’s past and family history, there are mysteries that he wants to solve.
The two stories piece together towards the end, and it is a story that definitely kept me turning the pages.
My only issue with the story was that I found there wasn’t enough information about Brianna and Caleb’s relationship ie. reasons why Brianna would want the marriage to end. Apart from Caleb having to fly in and out for work, he came across as a loving father and decent man, so I would’ve liked a little more insight into that. Also, the two boys seemed way too mature for their ages. I found it hard to believe that they were only 6 and 8, and expected their actions, dialogue, and thoughts to be not so adult like.
Apart from that, I really enjoyed this story and would gladly recommend it.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Suddenly One Summer
Thankyou so much Beauty and Lace ,Allen&Unwin and Fleur McDonald for giving me the opportunity to read Suddenly One Summer. Definitely 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️book. I think this was my favourite book of the year.
Several stories within one, with very distinctive characters so the reader could almost believe that they are people you know well .
Following Brianna’ s life with her two young sons and very absent husband one couldn’t help but feel her time was very stretched, But for her wonderful father who was also her partner in their farms and her great neibours and friends who made her work on the farm so rewarding..
Brianna and her Dad miss terribly her mum who went missing many years before. Although Russell has another partner in Angela, both father and daughter find they have many issues with the way Angela behaves especially concerning the two young boys..
The other side of the story involves a police station and the enquires taken by the two offices attached to the stationin SA..
The curiousity of how these two stories collide is why it is so hard to put this book down.
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the offer to review this book. Suddenly Last Summer by Fleur McDonald. This is Fleur McDonalds ninth book about life in rural Australia, and being a farmer herself she knows about what she is writing about very well.
Brianna Donahue is a mum to two children, whose ages are eight and six. She is married to Caleb who is a lawyer and his work takes him often to Perth from Merriwell Bay Western Australia where the family lives.
On Brianna’s birthday a hot summer day, her son Trent goes missing. Neighbors join in the search for Trent including Brianna’s father Russell. It brings back memories for Russell from thirty years ago when his wife went missing and was never found.
In South Australia Detective Dave Burrows talks to an elderly man called Guy whose memory is failing him from dementia. It is interesting to read how the two stories interwine.
I found the ending sad but a great novel to read. I would recommend this book to everyone.
Full of suspense and intrigue, Suddenly One Summer by Fleur McDonald is such a great read!
We follow Brianna’s journey through life as an almost single mother of two young children as her husband, Caleb, is a fly-in fly-out criminal lawyer in Perth. Caleb is rarely home and their already rocky relationship is tested further when Brianna’s son has an accident and is missing for a while. Memories of Brianna’s own mother who went missing years ago come flooding back to her and her lovely father Russell.
What is the connection between Brianna’s story and Detective Dave Burrows who lives in South Australia and is intrigued by an elderly farmer who claims his sheep and wool have been stolen?
The mystery surrounding these two stories will have you keep turning the pages until the very end. With very descriptive scenery and true to life characters, Fleur McDonald’s novel captured my attention right to a number of twists at the end. Thank you very much for the opportunity to read and review this book. A great read by such a great author!