Jesse Redpath, an Australian police officer previously featured in CANTICAL CREEK, has recently relocated to the rural town of Satellite. It’s the dead of winter with storms, snow, and cold. Nothing about this thriller by Adrian Hyland, THE WIREGRASS, shows the Australia you might first picture, although eucalyptus trees feature largely.
I was thrilled to get another book featuring Senior Constable Jesse Redpath. She starts out as part of the emergency services, rescuing a woman from a flooding river and moving on to where a tree landed on a tractor. Sadly, the driver didn’t escape. Jesse’s instincts prompt her that this death might not have been an accident. While investigating, she rashly starts a relationship with Nash Baker, a neighbour of the deceased man, Raph Cambric, who was a farrier. Nash turns out to be a retired cop, who left the force early under a cloud. Small wonder that he’s a suspect when Jesse’s concerns are taken seriously.
The cold, wind, power cuts and regularly falling trees are major factors in Jesse’s adventures, providing continual uncertainty. This is a high contrast with the first book which centred around bushfire season. While you don’t need to have read Canticle Creek, I think it’s best if you have because some secondary characters recur, such as Ben Redpath, Jesse’s dad, now settled in an artist’s cottage at Canticle, which is not far from the burgeoning art scene in Melbourne. The rural areas are shown as otherwise dismal; populated by odd sorts and ex-cons, with young adults destined to leave for work or else end up odd too.
I did spot one or two factors early, ahead of Jesse, but then I’m not dead tired, with a borrowed dog to feed and a wrecked cabin roof to mend before bed. A tree climbing scene is so enjoyable, and we get to view some of the wildlife and flora of the Wiregrass area. Adrian Hyland is a celebrated Australian author who knows the environment well, whether human or natural. He pours on the dialect and rubs in the tangy scent of eucalyptus. THE WIREGRASS is a thrilling feast for all the senses.
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