Melaleuca completely took me by surprise—in the best way. It's the kind of book that doesn’t just pull you into the story; it yanks you into the dust, heat, and tension of a small outback Australian town and doesn’t let go.

The story centers on Renee Taylor, an Aboriginal police officer who comes back to her hometown to care for her mother. She’s not planning to stay long, but that quickly changes when a murder rocks the community. From there, what looks like a straightforward crime story turns into something much deeper—layered with buried secrets, systemic racism, and the raw scars of generational trauma.

One of the standout things for me was the setting. You can feel the red dirt, the oppressive heat, and the weight of silence in the town. Angie Faye Martin writes with such texture that the environment feels like a character in its own right. It’s atmospheric without being overdone, and it really elevates the emotional intensity of the story.

Renee is a powerful lead. She’s tough but vulnerable, navigating the tension between her professional role and personal history with grace and grit. Watching her confront her past, and the deeply rooted injustices around her, was gripping and honestly pretty emotional.

This isn’t just a crime novel—it’s a story about identity, community, and truth-telling. It challenges the reader to think about what justice really looks like, especially in places where the systems aren’t built for everyone.

If you're into gritty, smart crime fiction with heart—and you want a story that sticks with you after the last page—Melaleuca is absolutely worth your time. I can’t wait to see what Angie Faye Martin writes next.

This was a fantastic police procedural that has a plot twist you will not see coming. If you love Australian literature you don’t want to miss this!

At the surface Melaleuca is a gripping murder mystery that threatens to engulf a small town that’s inadequately prepared to deal with a homicide case.

At its core it’s a story that encapsulates Australian culture, racial injustices and the history of the Indigenous peoples. I would be surprised if Australian Literature courses in the future do not include Angie Faye Martin in their syllabus.

I was throughly engrossed in this story, most of which came with a familiarity of having grown up in a rural Australian town where I was one of the kids who painted the local rest and revive station. The nostalgia of small town living and quality of writing made this unputdownable. I am usually great at picking where a story is going but this blew me away.

I appreciated the throw back chapters that really helped set the scene and assert an emotional attachment to the missing girls which helped Renee break apart the case. Never underestimate the tenacity of a female in male dominated fields. Renee was a great character and her mindset really showed her determination after years of being dismissed as a mixed woman in the force. I enjoyed her full circle moment in the epilogue and if more books are written from her character view I definitely be picking them up.

Thank you to HQ Australia and NetGalley for giving me access to an eARC of this book. This is my honest review.