Solid, suspensful crime with some nail biting moments. I really liked the rural setting and the realistic feel to the policing in a fairly remote area. ( )

The novel takes place in rural New South Wales where Jo Lockwood is a National Parks Ranger. One morning while going about her normal duties she notices a kangaroo carrying the unlikely breakfast of a human arm and when she backtracks to where the roo came from she finds the body of a man who has been brutally murdered. Soon police, including Detective Nick Matheson, are on the scene. Matheson has only been in his job a few days, having recently transferred to ‘normal duties’ after ten years of undercover work. Unfortunately for everyone involved this murder is just one event in a series that will spell danger for the entire community. Be in no doubt, this is no cosy ‘all the violence takes place off-stage’ kind of novel!

It’s clear Bronwyn Parry knows and loves the Australian landscape: through Jo’s eyes in particular the book shows both its beauties and dangers in stark reality. In fact it was more than a little eerie to read such well-described fire fighting scenes on the very day an unseasonally late fire was ripping through bushland a mere 20 kilometres from my safe city cottage this past weekend. The depiction of modern rural life was completed by the inclusion of the kind of community spirit that does engender small town life in Australia, in particular the human powered magic that is Rotary and its equivalent organisations.

The authentic and quite enveloping setting provides an excellent backdrop for the cracking yarn which belied my ‘life’s slower in the country’ belief by not letting me stop for breath even once. There’s a rogue cop, international drug cartel links and a quite alarming number of dead bodies for something partially labelled romance but it all hangs together very nicely and made me eager to turn each page. You won’t be surprised to learn that Jo and Nick do form a romantic attachment but it’s not even remotely mushy and although the path to their love does not run smoothly the obstacles are not the cliché’s I worried about. Their respective back stories are drama-laden but believable and I found myself keen to know how their personal demons would work their way into unfolding events.

DEAD HEAT reminded me a little of Nevada Barr’s terrific series of novels set in American national parks which also feature a female ranger of independent spirit. The combination of evocative setting, suspense-filled plot and solidly built characters was very engaging and I will definitely be reading more of Parry’s work. She has won extra points on my personal scale because her books all seem to be standalones which, in this era of the never ending series, I find refreshing.

Bronwyn Parry is fast becoming one of my must buy authors.

I am very reluctant to call this book a romance. Sure there is attraction between the two main characters but the focus is on suspense and murder with the opening murder being a grizzly one indeed. National Parks ranger Jo Lockwood stumbles across a mutilated body in an isolated park in north-west region of New South Wales while on a routine inspection of camping grounds. The victim had been tortured before his death and a stash of drugs are found near the scene. Detective Nick Matheson is brought in to investigate the crime and soon realises that that Jo is at risk from the murderer as it would appear she had spoken to him without realizing it. As the body count rises it becomes clear there is a leak in the task force. Jo and Nick have to find out where the murderer, and his increasingly growing gang, is and stop him. They also have to battle against snipers, bushfires and finally one-on-one combat as they struggle to expose police corruption and thwart an illegal drug smuggling route being set up.

This is a fast-paced and exciting story with some unexpected twists that kept me on the edge of my seat for a four hour flight. ( )

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. ( )