Boney Creek by Paula Gleeson is a tension filled and suspenseful thriller full of secrets, small town drama and intrigue.

After Addie and her husband Toby experienced a traumatic break-in and a heartbreaking miscarriage, they decided to leave their life in the city for the tiny outback town of Boney Creek, population 217. They intend to take over the general store that used to be run by Mary. But Boney Creek has had a rash of accidental deaths, seven in just a couple of months, and Mary was one of them. Using her previous background in journalism, Addie decides to investigate the recent deaths. With Boney Creek's previous history of a serial killer stalking the town, Addie knows that there is something going on in her new town and she's going to be the one to figure it out.

Set in the Australian outback, Boney Creek was atmospheric and full of tension and quirky characters. If you like thrillers with multi-layered mystery, creepy and ominous vibes and a protagonist taking things into her own hands, you are going to want to read this! I really liked the mixed media aspect with the podcast where Addie covers each of the deaths. Shifting from past and present helps put together pieces of the puzzle as you read and the short chapters keep you interested and wanting to read just one more chapter! Overall a great thriller that I would recommend for fans of suspenseful secret-filled reads!

Thank you to NetGalley, Paula Gleeson, and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC! Publication date is June 3rd 2025.

This was super good! The pacing was great, the length of the book was perfect, and the story kept me hooked. I liked the mix of the story with blog posts, recordings, podcasts, etc. Very cool.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the eARC!

Addie Clarkson and her husband Toby are moving to the small town of Boney Creek after experiencing the tragedy and trauma of a break-in and miscarriage. They want to start over and taking over the town's general store seems like a good (not great) opportunity with the town still reeling after seven *accidental* deaths occurring in strangely rapid succession. One of those being the previous owner of the general store, Mary.

Before they moved, Addie was an aspiring journalist, just waiting for her big break that would really jump-start her career. It never came, though. After settling in a bit, Addie decides to use her background in journalism to get the scoop and investigate the recent deaths. After realizing that there was a previous history of a serial killer in Boney Creek back when it was still a hub on a major highway, before the bigger interstate was installed, Addie just KNOWS there's a story here waiting to be uncovered. She's determined to be the one to break it.

This thriller had just the right amount of spooky vibes without veering over into the horror category, IMO. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading more from Paula Gleeson soon!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the eARC!
I enjoyed this, though I did find myself getting bored at some times. Some of the characters were kind of flat, and some of it was hard to keep track of with all the details and events.
I did like how the story unfolded and how you got information piece by piece to put together and attempt to figure it out for yourself. Did I figure it out? No. I was wrong on who I thought was behind it.
I also through the plot of the book was good, and so was the location.
Overall, I enjoyed reading it, and would recommend to a friend.

The small, isolated outback town of Boney Creek was the new home to young couple Toby and Addie after the trauma that had almost broken them back in the city. Leaving their life behind, their new life beckoned, with the small shop they'd purchased set to free them from the past. But it seemed Boney Creek had a lot of secrets, both ancient history, and current, and when wannabe journalist Addie discovered the strange details of seven deaths in the past three months, all locals, she knew she had to investigate. And when Toby told her a secret he'd been hiding, she was shocked, but determined to help him.

As Addie interrogated the locals, some told her to stop, a few of them told her bits and pieces. But she couldn't find the connections. Meanwhile, the shop was struggling, needing more money spent on it than they had. With the post office, service station and general store all in one, it was a big job for two, with help from Clancy, a local school girl. Would Addie and Toby find the answers they needed? Or would Addie and her nosiness cause her to become number eight....

Boney Creek by Aussie author Paula Gleeson surprised me by how much I enjoyed it. Set in the middle of outback Australia, it was filled with tension and a fast pace - I wondered what Addie was going to do next. Didn't she realise she was possibly interrogating a murderer? Clancy was my favourite character, along with feisty old Mildred. This is my first read by this author, and I must check her other books. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley & Thomas & Mercer for my digital ARC to read and review.

Sometimes a fresh start turns out to be anything but fresh…

Addie and her husband Toby move to a small town hoping for a clean slate. But instead of peace and quiet, they land in the middle of a small community drowning in secrets. Addie, a journalist at heart, finds herself tangled in a string of “accidental” deaths that no one in town wants to talk about.
This is a slower burn and the tension really builds. Boney Creek offers a mystery into the heart of a town where nothing is as it seems.

I enjoyed the author's debut thriller, Original Twin, and was keen to read her follow up. I was not disappointed.

Boney Creek is a suspenseful and compelling read. It hits the ground running with the action starting straight away!

Set in a small town that is full of secrets and lies, it takes some amateur sleuthing by the protagonist to uncover them and the crimes that have plagued this town recently.

Atmospheric and with short chapters, this made for an addictive thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC to read and review. Expected publication date for Boney Creek is 3/6/25

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Boney Creek. Pop 217 ?? Small town drama. Deadly secrets. So many deaths, so many questions. I was totally immersed in it - could not put it down. It’s a fast-paced, quirky charactered, mysterious and twisty psychological thriller with dark secrets that keeps you guessing whodunnit. Really enjoyed. Gleeson is a new to me author that I’ll be watching to see whats next! 4 stars — Pub. 6/3/25

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely LOVED The Original Twin by Gleeson so I was so excited to devour her new thriller. It didn’t disappoint!

✔️creepy town
✔️family drama
✔️ amateur sleuth
✔️layers of mystery

I was glued to my earbuds/ flipping the pages to find out who or what was killing everyone. My jaw was left open when the reveal came and I was left gasping as I was not expecting that ending.

I alternated from listening to the audiobook and reading and I loved both options. The audiobook narrator did a fantastic job and I loved her Australian accent.

***Thank you Paula Gleeson, Amazon Publishing, Thriller Book Lovers (The Pulse) and Brilliance Audio for my gifted copies!

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 fridge 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.

This book is easy to read and entertaining, with generally good characters, except I prefer a smart female main character and not as stupid as this one. The plot is also a little weird, and there's too much repetition.

Addy and Toby bought the general store in the tiny town of Boney Creek after a home invasion but now Addy is so uneasy about the odd deaths in town that she investigates. There's lots of secrets and lies so Addy's probing is not welcome. This starts well and then sags a bit but picks up in the last pages. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC>.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher Thomas & Mercer an amazing book.

A great read from a new found mystery thriller author. A ghost town with the population of 217 living in the area.
There’s suspense, intrigued and mystery that keeps me turning the page.
I really enjoyed reading this one and I might have to read the other book.

It was an ok read. The last 100 is where it really picked up. The narration worked really good for this.

Three and a half stars rounded up. I’m not sure why, but for some reason, I was hesitant to read Paula Gleeson’s “Boney Creek.” Addie and Toby have moved there from four hours away after they suffered a personal tragedy. Boney Creek has a population of less than 225 and would be considered a dying town.

Addie and Toby have purchased the general store after its owner, Mary, died a couple weeks before after choking to death. Mary is the latest local who had died in the last year. Six others came before her. Shortly after arriving and learning that information, Addie becomes suspicious the deaths may not have been accidents.

She begins a podcast on the premise of covering each of the deaths, as well as learning more about who the victims were and their lives in Boney Creek. She also explores whether the recent deaths are connected to a series of deaths/disappearances that occurred a few decades in the past.

This book is filled with several delightful side characters. One of them was Clancy, a teenage girl, who worked for Mary and continues her employment at the general store under Addie and Toby. I really enjoyed the flow and storyline up until the end. Then things got a little disorganized for me, plot-wise, and some of the reveals were slightly unrealistic to me.

Overall, I recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

Fast-paced, layered, and seriously addictive! I devoured Boney Creek very quickly! Paula Gleeson delivers a cleverly crafted mystery that shifts between past and present timelines, creating a gripping dual narrative that had me piecing together clues until the very last page.

The writing is clean and compelling with no fluff, just a sharp, steady rhythm that keeps you turning pages. I loved how every detail mattered, with twists that felt earned and satisfying. It’s the kind of story that hooks you in with intrigue, not confusion.

Perfect for mystery lovers who want something engaging without being overwhelming, Boney Creek strikes a sweet balance: believable characters, smart structure, and a mystery that clicks into place beautifully. A brilliant read with a rewarding payoff. Five stars from me!

DNF at Chapter 17. I decided not to continue reading this one because it had this odd, sort of immature tone to it, and the timeline seemed a bit off (i.e. the anxiety of the main character escalated too quickly in relation to the length of time she'd actually been in the town, and what had happened up to that point). I don't normally rate unfinished books, but this one came from NetGalley and the publisher, so I feel obligated.

This story was definitely a wild and fast-paced read. I found it really easy to get through because the writing is straightforward and keeps moving, which is great when you want something that doesn’t drag on. What I found most interesting was how the mystery was told through two different timelines — the past and the present. That made it feel more layered, as you have to pay attention to details from both periods and try to see how they fit together.

The way the author connected everything in the end was satisfying. It wasn’t just random twists; each clue and event had a purpose, which made the story feel well thought out. I enjoyed watching the pieces from the past slowly reveal their impact on the present, and that back-and-forth kept me engaged enough to keep going.

The characters were believable and their motivations made sense, even if the story itself moved quickly. I appreciated that it wasn’t overly complicated or heavy, so it felt like a light but intriguing puzzle. It’s the kind of book you can read without feeling overwhelmed but still get a sense of accomplishment when the mystery finally comes together.

Overall, if you’re looking for a mystery that’s easy to read but still offers a cool connection between different timelines, this story fits the bill. It might not be the most mind-blowing book, but it’s a solid and enjoyable read for anyone who likes mysteries with a twist.

🌏Good small town mystery, location unknown😯

Narrator newcomer Addie's ad hoc investigation into an unlikely series of mysterious deaths in a remote town of just over 200 residents did draw me in, along with a mystery regarding the home invasion that precipitated her move out of "the city" to Boney Creek with her husband. The writing is straightforward, and a bit more cut and dry than I am used to but worked nonetheless. The author slowly brings new characters into the narrative and with just about a dozen locals paints a fair picture of the tragedy affecting the town.

Everyone has secrets that gradually come out over a span of less than a month. The story provides a fair share of twists and surprises so that the exciting climax really did take me aback. It took me awhile to settle into the book, but the further along I went the better the plot.

I was disappointed that the author left locations so vague. I was drawn to the story by its Australian setting but the town of Boney Creek and the city Addie and Toby have abandoned are hung in a vague, unspecified backdrop.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book for review; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Review shared on 5/22/25 on Goodreads and Bookbub, and with BAM and Barnes & Noble.