Author: Bronwyn Parry
ISBN: 978-0-7336-2549-7
RRP: $32.99
Dead Heat is my introduction to Australian romantic suspense writer Bronwyn Parry and one that is long overdue if this book is anything to go by.
I got the blurb for this a couple of weeks ago and have been hanging out to get my eyes on it. It arrived when I was in the middle of another book, as usual, and had quite a to-do list to get through. Having it sit next to me on my desk certainly spurred me to get through everything quickly so I could make a start.
Once I made the start that was the end of me and now here I am, an hour after I got prepared to call it a night with quite a chunk to read in the morning and I got handcuffed to the book, I swear I did, with my eyes propped open so I couldn’t look away. It doesn’t really matter why I’m still up, but the book is finished and it’s time to share my thoughts.
The scenery is a shining star in this novel, vividly detailing the bushland National Parks in NSW. The perspective is 3rd person but the majority of the story is focused on Jo Lockwood who is a park ranger so we still see through her eyes and she is a very observant woman who pays extreme attention to detail. As a park ranger it is to be expected that the outback holds significant fascination for her, as does the native wildlife and we are treated to that fascination with the descriptions and observations of the landscapes and animals that she comes across in her work.
Jo’s attention to detail and keen powers of observation come in handy time and time again throughout the book and go a long way to saving her life, the problem is that it is those same powers of observation that put her in danger in the first place.
Detective Nick Matheson has recently been posted to the area in a major change of pace from the undercover roles he has been playing over the past decade. Career credentials like that would make you think his powers of observation are also extremely well honed and you would be correct.
A lot of the suspense throughout this book is related to issues that I wouldn’t necessarily pair with the outback, the arguments for it are logical and plausible but they are still things that I would expect in cities rather than national parks out the back of beyond which goes a long way to making Dead Heat even harder to put down, if only for a much needed sleep.
The characters, well to be honest the main characters broke my heart. Both Jo and Nick have survived events that leave them emotionally damaged and closed off from personal attachments. They both have routines set in place to make sure their control never slips, to move past the possibility of emotional reactions and ‘get on with it’. While this can be an admirable trait in moderation and in the right circumstances it is not always good for long term mental health.
Dead Heat brings Nick and Jo together in the investigation of her grisly find, an investigation that gets deeper at every turn. Just how much are they set to learn about themselves before the dying pages? That’s something I am not going to risk revealing to you, you’ll have to read it for yourselves.
Bronwyn Parry’s writing style is fluid and engaging with suspense that builds progressively and some fabulous twists that then leave you looking back to see if you could spot the clues.
Considering I have been away from my deeply rooted love of all things horror for quite some time I have lost some of my de-sensitisation and a couple of the grislier passages made me physically shudder.
The only one issue I had with the reading of this book is a very minor one but it did stick with me and even now it just doesn’t seem to fit for me. There is a scene about halfway through where Nick walks into a room and there’s a crisp packet on the table, and it really jumped out at me. This book is very Australian and everything struck me as Australian except for that one tiny mention of a crisp packet, which I didn’t think was an Australian term.
Now I’m extremely happy with this book, I loved it! So in the long run one crisp packet is inconsequential – which begs the question why did I bring it up. To tell the truth I don’t rightly know but it did strike me as odd so I thought I would mention it in case I’m not the only one.
A great read that I am thrilled to have finally read, and I will definitely be on the lookout for more of her work.
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!
I must admit I have a difficult relationship with the book Dead Heat by Bronwyn Parry.
In terms of characterisation I feel that she has been successful in explaining the experiences that have caused her main characters to be where they they are, but it also lends itself to allow the reader to also become detached from them, and not use them as their way into the story. I don’t know if their could have been another character which could have fulfilled this role but it may have helped for the reader to have another less ‘damaged’ perspective.
The author’s descriptive imagery was good, allowing the reader to set the scene in rural NSW. I loved reading about the surroundings and feel this was of the best parts of the book.
The plot was very formulaic, with the exception of the reaction of the villan to their escape. At that point I felt that it had developed a few plot holes in order to progress the storyline the author wanted to follow. The ending was a bit expected but kept to the theme of the genre and was a satisfying conclusion overall.
Dead Heat is a very easy to read book which shows the amazing affinity the author has with her setting.
If you are reading as a lover of this genre you will not be disappointed, and may be inclined to look up previous books by the same author.
This books opens right away with a mystery and at times i really thought it was not my kind of book as I am much used to reading books without murder mysteries and such but this book was filled with surprises and a tale that you wanted to read to the end despite what type of genre you normally read.
I found it really interesting to read a book i normally wouldnt pick up and I am glad I did.
I like that is was set in the australian outback and you get a sense of something you may be totally foreign to. It gives insight into the workings of the bush and things I wouldnt normally think about so it was great to get that perspective.
Thank you beauty and lace for a wonderful interesting read that is unlike anything else i have read
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read and review this brillant book from such a talented author. Once I got into it I could hardly put in down and the story and characters kept me captivated. I loved the style of the author and will be reading more of her books and passing this one along for family/friends to read. Overall a great read… 🙂
Thanks for the opportunity to read Dead Heat. I found it to be an easy read, and I love how the Outback is described and how ‘Aussie’ the language is.
There were a few sections that were a little hard to believe and the characters didnt seem to be fleshed out very well, so it was hard to really care about them. But overall, I found Dead Heat to be a satisfactory novel that was somewhat compelling, if not a complete nail-biting page-turner.
My first impressions of receiving this book I was totally captivated by the cover depicting a true Australian outback bush. I was excited to start reading but due to committments I had to scramble to read in between weddings and visitors but I accomplished it in one restful day.
I found the story to be enjoyable and engaging from the first chapter. The main characters of Jo the National Parks Ranger and Nick the Detective became very real for me.
The book contains brutal murders, and there is plenty of action, suspense, thrills and some titilating passionate romance. Being someone that knows NSW well, I could relate with the recognisation of the Aussie towns.
I found myself eager to read and flip the pages over. For me though there was only about 2 chapters that my concentration wavered with the story but I perservered and wasn’t disappointed after continuing.
Bronwyn Parry kept me intrigued with reading and it wasn’t till I finished the book and read her acknowledgements that we learn that she wrote Dead Heat while waiting for and recovering from brain surgery. Knowing that after I have read the book I can see similarities in the book of how Bronwyn was feeling at the time.
I was totally absorbed in the story because it does contain adventure, heartache, mystery plus romance. Towards the end I was moved by emotions.
I look forward to reading more from Bronwyn Parry in the future and certainly hope that she has recovered from her operation.
I love checking out Australian Writers so i was really excited to receive this book and as i was packing a bag for a stay in hospital this book was coming along with me.
I started reading the day after my surgery and found that i was drawn in and caputred by the storyline straight away but thanks to strong pain killers I kept falling asleep so reading the book took longer for me then it would have if i hadnt been recovering but im pleased that this book would drag my mind away from the hospital and off into the beauty and wonders of the outback.
I felt very connected to Jo who has faced extreme tragedy in her life and is working to live life with her heart protected. I think its always good to find someone in a book that you are reading that you feel you understand and i felt that with Jo and wanted to protect her but also help her to grow emotionally if that makes sense.
This book takes you on a journey though a police investigation after Jo makes a very disturbing find one day. The mystery of the case seems to grow and grow with more things happening to create twists and turns.
This is a book that keeps you guessing.
I would certainly reccommend this book but would warn that im sure you will get through it a lot faster then you might think as its very hard to put down.
Certainly a writer i would be keen to read more of.
Thank you B & L
OK so where do I begin. I found it hard to get in to this book and let my mind pull me into the story, it wasn’t a boring start just one that didn’t compel you to want to read more but rather dragged you along. That was until about half way through when I suddenly couldn’t put it down.
Lets set the scene.
Jo has stumbled upon a murder scene which was definitely not in the job description as Park Ranger and our new detective to the town Nick has been called out to investigate.
Jo keeps stumbling upon all the ‘baddies’ and this involves her deeper and deeper into the whole crime.
Hugh is Nick’s old partner and friend has been called out to the country to help with the investigation. This is where things get interesting. There is much more to Hugh and Nick then Jo first thought and how involved does it all get. (Not giving too much away here).
I found that once it started bringing in all these other characters and having all these new and different paths to follow I got myself really interested in the story and I couldn’t wait to see what happens next but this was already half way through the book.
I thought the friends and workmates brought a depth to the story that would have been a simple romance story with out it.
If its a great story then I don’t just read a story but rather see it in my head as I’m going through the book. This had my mind looking for things that I couldn’t work out (map wise) I would have liked a map of the area so that I could see how close everything was and why that path was so important. Then I could have followed along a lot easier as I found it difficult to visualise where they were at times.
Over all I loved the book and found myself glued right up until the end it was just a shame that it took half the book for that to happen.
Great story about the Australian land and country life.
i was not sure if i could get into reading novels again after many years of not being interested in the practice of such a chore.
To my amazement i couldn’t put this book down and when i had too, couldn’t wait to pick it back up.Loved the characters all very Australian and believable.It took a while to get accustomed to the switch from one scene to another but mastered it with much smoothness as i let myself jump into the book and be there observing as the story unfolded.
I found it to have a mixture of soft gentle romance and the harsh reality of the world we live in today.Having it set in the country gave it more depth,plus the chance to visualize the beautiful country we are surrounded by.The story had great suspense all the way through and i found my heart beating faster more than once in anticipation of the outcome.
First book read in along time and im so glad i was given the opportunity, its revived a passion i thought was lost.
Thankyou B&L
Dead Heat is a well written and intriquing story that shatters the peace and tranquility of the Australian bush and brings the horrors of the city – murder, drugs and corruption – to the lives of unsuspecting townspeople.
The visual aspects of the bush are brought to reality with Parry’s obvious knowledge of the area, and her ability to translate that onto the pages of her book can make you feel like you know the area too.
Her support characters lack a little depth but the 2 main characters, Jo and Nick, are complex enough to keep you interested in the story through the twists and turns, some are expected and some just totally take you by surprise.
A well written book that was not too heavy and hard to read, it just flowed along nicely taking the reader with it.
I don’t normally read his type of genre but the fact that it was set in the Australian outback interested me so I decided to give it a go. I didn’t know what to expect but I was quite surprised. It was an interesting ,easy read. Romance, crime, mystery and a police investigations. This book has it all. I think I preferred the romance part though as I don’t like reading about murders full stop. I will definitely recommend his book though. Thank you Beauty and Lace or giving the opportunity to read and review this book.