‘I’m sorry I got you into this!’

A tragic accident on Federation Peak has undermined the confidence of Tess Atherton, a Tasmanian wilderness guide and Search and Rescue team member. She’s also becoming increasingly unsettled by the possessive behaviour of her boyfriend Aaron Jackson, also a Search and Rescue volunteer and tour company owner.

In Hobart, Detective Senior Sergeant Jared Denham and his team are investigating a series of robberies. And then there’s a robbery from a yacht in a marina in which two people are killed.

And twenty-two-year-old Jai Wharton is trying to juggle his responsibilities for caring for his grandfather, suffering from dementia, with his job in ‘Tank’ Finlay’s profitable Hobart pawnshop. Tank’s daughter, Riley, is Jai’s girlfriend. There’s another employee in Tank’s pawnshop: a guy called Pax who ‘… had walked in a month ago, handed Tank a letter and been given a job.’

Tess reluctantly agrees to guide a group of young hikers, including Jai and Riley, in the belief that they’ll be safer out of Hobart while Jared and his team investigate crimes that seem to have some connection to Tank’s shop.

But once out in the wilderness, Tess and her group are in danger. But who from? And why?

To write more about the story might introduce spoilers which could diminish the suspense. Suffice to say, the three different strands of the story are drawn together by the end. There are elements of romance and thriller in this story, and the setting is perfect.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia, HQ Fiction for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Ooooh, there was a LOT going on with this story - and I loved every word of it!

Tess is a woman of many talents and one of them is guiding people through the Tasmanian wilderness. As I live in Tasmania myself, I enjoyed hearing the descriptions of the wild places that Tasmania is famous for. I hope that I never have to contend with the scenarios that Tess has to, however!

There are a couple of storylines going on at the same time and the characters find themselves on a collision course. There are a couple of likely "baddies" so it is interesting to try and figure out who is doing what - this is half the fun of reading a story like this. There is a romantic thread in the story as well, but it is subtle and the main story is the page-turning thriller.

5 stars from me, my second book by this author, and not my last.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Fiction.

Another great entertaining book from Sarah Barrie, who never seems to let me down. This novel can be a complete standalone but it does feature characters from the author’s two previous novels. Planted firmly in the Australian Romantic Suspense genre, this centres on Tess Atherton from Calico Lodge. Tess has recently experienced an horrific mishap within the small group she was guiding up the mountain. As well as loosing her confidence, her new boyfriend and fellow search and rescue team member is starting to become very possessive. It doesn’t help when local detective Jared Denham, colleague to her sister in law Indy appears to be on the scene more.
There are three subplots in this story and while they all worked in well, I sometimes felt there was a bit too much going on. That said, the last quarter of the story was filled with tension and since I love bushwalking and hiking, it could really feel the fear and isolation.
A great entertaining read, especially on a wet and cold weekend!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read

In the past, I've been a little underwhelmed by the attempts of rural romance authors/publishers to break into the lucrative and popular Aussie Noir/Thriller genre. But I am happy to report that, with Deadman's Track, Sarah Barrie has successfully made the leap - this is a bona fide thriller, albeit with a background romance subplot.
Over the course of the novel, three narratives are drawn together, each engrossing and intriguing in its own right.
The book opens with Tasmanian walking guide Tess Atherton (who readers of Barrie's Bloodtree River and Devil's Lair will remember as a supporting character in those books) attempting to rescue a client who has foolishly set off alone on Tasmania's notorious Federation Peak in bad weather.
The aftermath of the incident begins to expose cracks in Tess's relationship with her fellow SES Rescue volunteer boyfriend, Aaron - he's becoming increasingly possessive and emotionally abusive, especially when Detective Senior Sargeant Jared Denham - colleague of Tess's sister-in-law, Inspector Indiana Atherton - arrives on the scene.
Meanwhile, Indiana, Jared and their unit are investigating a series of increasingly brazen burglaries around Hobart, culminating in the murder of a well-heeled heiress and her partner on a luxury yacht berthed in a nearby marina. Investigations uncover a link to the Australian criminal underworld.
Working in Hobart's most profitable pawnshop, 22-year-old Jai Wharton struggles to balance caring for his increasingly senile grandfather with earning enough for them to survive. He's also in a relationship with Riley, the daughter of his boss, reformed gangster Vince "The Tank" Finlay. Both Jai and Tank are troubled by the provocative behaviour of their newly-materialised colleague, Pax - Tank has been pressured to take him on as a favour and he's clearly up to no good.
As the drama escalates, the three stories come together as Tess reluctantly agrees to step in at the last minute to guide Riley, Jai and several of their friends for a mid-winter walk of Tasmania's iconic South Coast Track. The walk is 85km (53 miles) one-way and can take up to a fortnight to complete in challenging seasonal conditions.
What follows is a genuinely nail-biting pursuit, as Tess and the walkers are stalked by an unseen enemy, and one-by-one the walkers disappear or meet grisly deaths. Who is out there in the wilderness? Can Tess, Jai and Riley win a psychological battle of wits against a vicious foe and reach the relative safety of Melaleuca and their plane home? Can either Jared or Aaron swing in and save the day? The exciting narrative takes us to not one, but two thrilling crescendi. The remote, wild and beautiful south coast of Tasmania provides a fascinating backdrop to the action in the second half of the book. I have walked part of the track, in summer, and it is stunning, but have to admit that the full distance in the unpredictable winter weather is not enticing, even in the absence of a homicidal psycopath!
Sarah Barrie expertly balances multiple differing perspectives and the reader feels the tension the various protagonists as they move towards a conclusion. Her research into the Tasmanian environment and culture is evident - this book has a more distinctly Tasmanian flavour than either of the preceding Calico Mountain novels. She captures the concurrent beauty and danger of the wilderness in an enticing way, while also telling a cautionary tale about hubris in the bush. During the winter of this book's release, walkers are still going out into the wild country of Tasmania woefully under-prepared.
While the book is published under the HQ (Harlequin Enterprises) imprint, this is primarily a thriller to my mind, and would be enjoyed by readers of Sarah Bailey, Ruth Ware and Annie Seaton. I'm not sure that the writing reaches the literary standard of Jane Harper or Chris Hammer, but purely in terms of plotting and characterisations, it is well worth a read - highly recommended!
Thanks to the author, Harlequin Australia, HQ (Fiction, Non Fiction, YA) & MIRA and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC copy of Deadman's Track. #DeadmansTrack #NetGalley

Enjoyed this stand alone book even though characters from other books were featured. Good that there were a few different story lines that merged well.

I found this to be gripping novel, hard to put down, and when I enviably had to, I would find myself thinking about it and trying to work it all out.

There were three subplots, A tragic accident, a terrible crime, an unknown threat... each of which will keep you guessing until the end.

I loved that it was set locally for me in Hobart and surrounding areas, made it all the more real as I could picture all the locations drawing me in to the book even more.

Even though it’s a standalone romantic thriller, it ties in with her previous novels “Bloodtree River” and “Devil’s Lair” with reoccurring characters which I really enjoyed, it was like meeting up again with old friends!

Sarah Barrie hasn’t disappointed at all with this one and totally recommend it as it’s a five star read!

Thank you so much to HQ Fiction for providing me with a copy of Dead Man’s Track, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review!

Romantic mystery/thriller by Sarah Barrie? Yes, give it to me! I absolutely loved this one a lot! Once again the author did not disappoint (Bloodtree River was one of my favourite reads last year) and I'll be reading more of her books asap! A variety of likeable (and not so likeable) characters, each with their own stories/parts to play weaved throughout the book yet all work well together as a whole. I was hooked throughout the book and not wanting to put it down. Perfect amount of romance, suspense and mystery in a great story to keep the reader engaged till the end! I was sad when I finished this one and look forward to recommending it to everyone I know. Thanks!

Thank you so much to HQ Fiction for providing me with a copy of Dead Man’s Track, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review!

Tess is a guide who takes groups on hikes and treks, but she has lost some of her confidence after an accident with one of her customers. Her over protective boyfriend isn’t helping matters either.

Jai is struggling to make ends meet, caring for his Pop in failing health, working at a pawn shop owned by his girlfriend’s father. He’s ready to do just about anything to ease the financial burden.

Detective Jared has been following up a string of burglaries that may have just graduated to murder.

As their lives start to intertwine, they’re all in more danger than they could have imagined.

This was a brilliant thriller, with at least 3 mysteries going on. The blurb, although not misleading, really doesn’t do justice to the book though – those events only take place in the last 20% of the book. The story is much more involved, with a large focus on Jai and his difficult choices. I have read another of Sarah Barrie’s books before and enjoyed this one just as much. She is a master at crafting characters you want to know more about and managing to give you just enough information to keep you guessing the whole way through!