Addie and Toby Clarkson move from the City to the small town of Boney Creek to take over the general store whose owner died recently when she choked on her cereal. Addie is a former reporter who is intrigued to learn that there have been 7 deaths recently, a large number for such a small town, and begins to write a blog dealing with the deaths. Her gut, combined with all the small-town gossip, is telling her that whatever’s happening in Boney Creek is not as random as it seems.

I enjoyed the story and found the characters to be an interesting mix. There are hints about a tragedy in the past which caused Addie and Toby to move from the City and Addie seems to stir up more trouble with her questioning of the locals. I'm not sure if I understood why Addie felt so guilty about what happened to the Clarksons in the City as it was alluded to so briefly near the end but it was a bit of a letdown. Overall, I liked the story and I'd definitely read another novel by this author.

My thanks to Thomas & Mercer, via Netgalley, for providing an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: June 3, 2025

This is hardly a thriller, more of a whodunit mystery. Its not a bad story but contains too many characters and back stories to keep up with. I finished it but probably would not recommend it. My thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I had to try a second time on Boney Creek. Although I've read Australian thrillers that really grabbed me, this wasn't one of them. Nonetheless, it was an okay book, and I suspect many readers will enjoy it.

When Toby and Addie moves to Boney Creek to escape happenings in their pasts, they think they're moving to a quiet little dying town where they can start over but discover that people in the town are mysteriously dying. Having failed to become a journalist, Addie determines to solve the mystery and prove to herself and others that she has what it takes. Although this wasn't the attention-grabbing thriller I had anticipated, it was a quick, easy read the second time I picked it up in a less busy moment.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance reader egalley of Paula Gleeson's new book.

Didn’t like it at all……
Was going to not finish it but barely made it to the end.
It had so much potential and the premise was interesting.

Okay, I didn’t expect to like this one as much as I did! I only found a few slow parts, but other than that, this was a great read!! Would recommend

The main character got under my skin, and the story didn't do enough to take away from that. I finished but considered not finishing.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

3.75 ⭐

Based on the cover, I thought this would be more dark and gritty.. I wouldn't say it was cosy, but ALMOST

🔎 Amateur sleuth
🔥 Slow burn
🦘 Australian outback setting
👌 Characters were just okay
🧩 Abundance of suspects & puzzle pieces
😵‍💫 A little confusing
😕 Ending left open for sequel

4 stars

Boney Creek is not a place for the weak. Addie and Toby realise that the minute they step foot in town, having moved there to get a fresh start after a traumatic event leaves them desperate to escape the city. It's a tiny hamlet with a storied past, a dying town where locals seem to keep mysteriously dying. As an aspiring journalist, Addie knows she shouldn't push things too hard since she's such a newcomer to the area and the locals don't feel much like sharing, but there are just too many recent "tragic accidents" for it to be coincidental. But pushing to dig up so many small town secrets may just lead to both Addie and Toby having to deal with their own skeletons in the closet, with possible life-altering consequences.

Overall I really enjoyed this read; it was easy to get through and the tone was conversational and intriguing. Immediately I was hooked by the idea of so many "accidents" being a cover for something else going on in town, and was also pulled in by the tease of Addie and Toby having some dark secrets of their own. The only part I wasn't 100% sold on was that sometimes Addie's pursuit of a story and how she interacted with people really rubbed me the wrong way. Like, she knew how to say exactly the wrong thing every single time she tried to get information for somebody; there's no way a reporter, even a relatively new one, could be so unbelievably bad at reading people, getting information, and hunting for leads. Those parts grated on me a bit. All that aside, I had a good time learning about the weird cast of characters and following the mystery until the final climax.

Thanks to NetGalley, author Paula Gleeson, and Thomas & Mercer Publishing for giving me access to a free digital ARC of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and are provided here voluntarily.

Slow going on this book. Interest.waxes and wanes and almost off the grid about midway. Characters lack depth and way too much of being 'in the head' of Abbie. If you want a book to trudge along with, this is the one. If you're looking for something exciting that holds your interest, this isn't the book. Lackluster comes to mind as a description. I was provided an advanced reader copy and was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions are my own. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the book. Sorry I didn't feel like it was quite there yet. Maybe too much minutia and more like a screenplay than a book? I dunno. Not my cup of tea. 2.5 rounded to 3 stars.

Boney Creek by Paula Gleeson is set in a quiet, close-knit town where everyone has something to hide. When newcomers Addie and Toby arrive, the locals are immediately suspicious. Addie, a former journalist, can’t ignore the unsettling pattern of “accidental” deaths in the community—and she begins to investigate. What unfolds is a slow-burning mystery filled with secrets, suspicion, and unexpected twists at every turn.

Thank you to NetGalley & Thomas & Mercer for letting me read this ARC.

A couple escapes a break-in in their city home and moves to a remote town. They purchased a closed post office and store to run in the outskirts of Boney Creek. There, Addie, a reporter and her husband, Toby, hide some secrets from one another, and the town is full of cryptic clues of murders from the past and present.

😊 What I liked: The characters are fitting in the scene. I really liked the 16 year old, Clancy, who helps the couple with their store. She is charming and easily likable. The idea of running the town's only mart and post office was a quaint idea.

🫩 What I didn't like: There were too many twists and turns, and it was difficult to put all the pieces together. Even in the end, I was left confused about how the clues and people were related.

If you like a thriller 🔪 and mystery 🔍, this does have some fast pacing scenes.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Thomas and Mercer for the advanced reader's copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #ThomasandMercer #BoneyCreek #Thriller #Mystery

The truth is buried deep in Boney Creek…
This rural mystery delivers atmosphere in spades — think dusty roads, watchful neighbors, and secrets tangled like overgrown roots. Addie’s curiosity drives the plot, but sometimes the pacing meanders, and a few twists didn’t hit as hard as I hoped.

This is an atmospheric, steadily paced, character-driven, rural thriller. For this one you definitely need to be a fan of a slow burn however it was bingeable and I finished in a day.

I enjoyed this book right up to the end. The FMC had so many theories running at the same time I felt like I was getting very confused. I think there could have been fewer theories and make them more fleshed out to really round out the story but the end was extremely rushed.

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting, I have had continuing familial health challenges to contend with in the past months.

This story of a young couple moving to a dying small town that can boast of an inexplicable series of deaths is the very definition of a slow burn. Both husband and wife have ulterior motives in moving, although both also need a fresh start after a personal tragedy. Addie, the wife, is determined to use her journalist skills to solve the mystery of the multiple deaths, and hopes this will give her standing professionally. She is portrayed as astonishingly naive, and as unsubtle in pursuit of a story as a brick upside the head - not to mention oblivious to the danger she is putting herself in. Meanwhile, her husband has his own agenda, and there is also the requisite cast of quirky small town characters. As the story progresses, long-held secrets come out - nothing really surprised me, and I found it slow going, but overall worth a read for the atmospheric claustrophobia of a small town and its secrets.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Boney Creek by Paula Gleeson

Paula Gleeson’s Boney Creek is a twisty, fast-paced small-town thriller that blends mystery with a strong sense of place and a slightly eccentric supporting cast. Addie and Toby move to the quiet outback town of Boney Creek to escape personal tragedy—only to find that seven locals have died under mysterious circumstances. Addie, a former aspiring journalist, is convinced these “accidents” aren’t so coincidental. As she starts asking questions, she unearths secrets that the town would rather leave buried.

The novel thrives on atmosphere. Gleeson paints Boney Creek as an isolated, drought-ravaged ghost town full of whispers, secrets, and suspicion—a perfect setting for murder. The opening prank on Addie and Toby by the whole town was both unsettling and clever, a standout moment that immediately set the tone.

The mystery itself is well-paced, with information teased out in a way that keeps the pages turning. I especially appreciated that I couldn’t predict whether the deaths were connected or truly accidental. And while I found the “blog post” element a refreshing take on the now-overused podcast trope, the ending didn’t land as well. The decision to leave a major storyline unresolved for a potential sequel felt unnecessary; if the characters are strong enough, the story should hold on its own.

Unfortunately, Addie is the novel’s weakest link. Her self-centred attitude, aggressive curiosity, and lack of emotional awareness made her a frustrating narrator. Her secret, once revealed, didn’t justify the build-up. Toby felt like an afterthought—a blank character with little agency. That said, the quirky supporting cast more than made up for it: Clancy, Beatrix, and Mildred were vivid, layered, and memorable.

I did notice a heavy use of Americanisms (like "mom" and "soda"), which felt out of place in what is otherwise a very clearly Australian setting. Small things, yes, but jarring when the tone and landscape are so recognisably rural Australia.

Still, Boney Creek had plenty to like—an intriguing premise, an eerie setting, and a solid twist I didn’t see coming. I’d happily read more from Gleeson, even if I hope next time the FMC is a little easier to root for.

Thank you to the author, the publisher (Thomas & Mercer), and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

Boney Creek is a solid thriller with a gripping mystery that kept me interested throughout. The pacing was good, and the characters felt real, even if some parts were a bit predictable. Overall, a good read that I enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this early copy.

Newley married couple Addie and Toby move to a small Australian town after suffering a trauma in the big city. The small town they move to , Boney Creek, has had a series of strange deaths in the past year. Long ago Boney Creek was also targeted by a serial killer called the Highway Reaper and Addie who used to be a reporter thinks there’s a deeper story in connection with the deaths. I enjoyed this small town character driven mystery.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I received a copy of this from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the mystery of this book. Was the main character annoying in her pursuit? Definitely. However, while that normally would annoy me, I found that it really worked in this book. I can't quite pin down why, but I think it had something to do with the fact that she stuck to her guns despite so many people telling her she would ultimately fail. I also liked how complex the mystery was. It wasn't as straight forward as many I've read, where you can straight up guess the ending. Gleeson gave the people of the Boney Creek good personalities, and she also managed to make the creepy small town trope feel somewhat fresh. Many seem to place the POV on someone close/related to the victim, or the town cop, but centering an investigative journalist was something I don't thin I've read about before.

Overall, while I would definitely recommend this, I thought the ending, where the main character spills her deepest darkest secret, was a huge letdown.

I love an atmospheric sleepy town mystery. Addie and Toby move to Boney Creek to start over. Once there they find the residents of the small town are dying.

Everyone has a secret that adds complexity to this small town mystery. I waffled over the deaths. Were they murders? Were they connected? What secrets are Abbie and Toby both hiding?

I also couldn’t figure out who was trustworthy and reliable. Even Addie has me scratching my head.

I was slightly more interested in the characters than any danger, but I do wish there was just a little more in some instances. And at the very end it seemed their story was quite finished and had me hoping for a sequel.

I’m not sure I’ve ever listened to Anthea Greco but I really enjoyed her narration. She nailed Addie, Toby, the atmosphere and the sleepy town.

This was a good who dun it small town murder mystery set in a creepy little town in Australia. Addie and Toby move in after suffering a tragedy in their home and wanting a fresh start but both are also harboring their own hidden agendas. I didn’t solve any of it ahead of the main character and was pleased with how it came together and resolved.

Paula Gleeson’s second novel Boney Creek is firmly in the Australian outback noir tradition. Set in a tiny, drought affected town in which everybody knows everybody else’s business or have long running and deep animosities and secrets. This is also a town with a possible serial killer in its recent history and seven mysterious deaths in its present. Into this milieu she drops Addie and Toby, a couple seeking to escape from a traumatic experience but who have deep secrets of their own.
Boney Creek’s cold open involves the death of a man illegally collecting firewood, an event that will become relevant much later in the novel. It then moves to Addie and Toby who have come to take over the decrepit general store, post office and petrol station following the death of its owner Mary. Mary was the seventh death in a series of mysterious accidents that have plagued the town. Addie, a wannabe journalist, senses a story and a possible connection to an earlier series of killings, and starts a blog while working on the bigger story.
Gleeson does a good job of ramping up the creepiness of the town. Including Larry, the guy who wants to buy up all the land, and his sons, to Beatrix a nurse who also reads tarot cards and can somehow know things others don’t, to Walter the local priest. But she also plays a little on readers expectations with some of the characters.
Addie herself is a dogged if not particularly good investigator, and Gleeson plays up the amateur nature of her quest, occasionally just randomly accusing people of murder without any real proof, even as she gets closer to the truth. And it is unclear later in the book whether she is in danger or possibly actually unwell. But that truth, when it comes, of both what happened in the town’s history and what is happening in the present, is fairly underwhelming.
Gleeson manages to develop a creepy, threatening atmosphere in a town of odd characters and a history of dark deeds and deep, damaging secrets. And she puts at the centre a deeply flawed but likeable protagonist, a little out of her depth. All of which comes together to make Boney Creek a fairly effective piece of Australia rural noir.